


Deal With My Devil

by Tusike6speciale



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Crimes & Criminals, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24661810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tusike6speciale/pseuds/Tusike6speciale
Summary: Caroline Forbes used to be a thief but she's now working with the FBI. There was a time when she was just a girl from a good family, then one day she had fallen in love with Klaus Mikaelson and, wrong or right, she never thought he would abandon her like that. All she's waiting for is seeing him behind bars, but a pact made with the devil is not so easily broken.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes/Stefan Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore
Comments: 17
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Deal With My Devil](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/632092) by Me. 



> Hi!This is my first story published. I'm Italian so forgive any mistakes (I don't have a beta yet). This is a Klaroline story with just some Steroline (I'm not a Steroline fan) and other characters from TVD and TO. Some of them may be a bit OOC cause this was an original story with different characters and I'm now translating it to become a KC fanfic. Please let me know what you think, thank you!

Caroline Forbes was a thief. At least that's what she used to be before being caught.

She thought she was gonna die that day with four bullets in her body. The last image she saw was her people running away, the last sound she heard was their heavy footsteps mixed with the shots. Then she closed her eyes. He was not going to save her.

Yet it was her destiny to live.

Today Caroline Forbes is working with the FBI. Lieutenant Stefan Salvatore promised her protection and she swore to help them arrest the others. The rest of her group, her old family.

Caroline wasn't always a thief. There was a time when she was just a girl from a good family, the only daughter of a wealthy upper west side businesswoman in Manhattan.

Then one day she fell in love with the wrong person, who was also the right person.

He taught her that nothing is what it seems and that the emptiness inside could easily be filled with adrenaline, with risk, with money, friends and love. She didn't really think that one day he would abandon her.

Caroline doesn't love him anymore now. She hates him and all she's waiting for is seeing him behind bars.

But a pact made with the devil is not so easily broken...

—————

"YOU'LL FINALLY BE FREE"

Caroline's high heels slammed on the parquet creating a fast and agitated rhythm. She’d quickly put on a pair of skinny jeans and a white sleeveless top, which surely hid some stains of milk or jam, to be there as soon as possible. The corridor seemed longer than usual that day, a day which started much worse than many others. As she advanced through the police station, determined and light at the same time, she regretted not letting her cell phone ring. She truly hoped to have more free time before diving back into her bizarre reality.

The door squeaked as soon as she pressed the handle, tickling her already tense nerves. A faint aroma of patchouli filled her nose and she knew instantly who she would be facing.

"Good morning!"

"What the hell do you want?"

"So much for manners, huh?"

Caroline closed her eyes and breathed deeply as FBI Lieutenant Stefan Salvatore stood in front of her with his chiseled face and his perfect thick head of hair. When she opened her lids again, she found herself just a few inches from his green irises.

"You got away pretty fast last time."

His tone, halfway between reproach and regret, did not scratch her at all. She stepped back and looked at him even more seriously. If Stefan hoped to make her feel guilty, that was not the right time or the right technique.

"Why did you call me? I really hope it was for a good reason."

"I'm afraid it really is this time."

Stefan turned and reached his mahogany desk scratching the nape of his neck. Caroline raised an eyebrow following his slow movements. Was he embarrassed or worried? Probably a mix of both, which meant there really was something bad going on.

“What is it Stefan?"

He started flipping through the files under his eyes and talked without looking at her

"Sorry for asking..." He took a little break. "...Are you really out of it?"

No need to clarify what he was referring to. Caroline frowned as she moved her faux leather bag from one shoulder to the other

"I mean... You haven't had any contact with..."

"No!"

Caroline interrupted him by suddenly raising her voice. She then swallowed and recomposed herself with a deep breath

"Absolutely not."

Stefan nodded, his attention back to the papers

“Okay." His tone couldn’t hide the apprehension as she searched for the right words to use

"Why are we talking about this?"

Caroline pressed, she was suddenly in a state of agitation, her heart was pounding like crazy and she couldn’t help but grasp the edge of the desk to balance her tingling legs. Stefan sighed, he wished there was no need to inform her, but

"We found him."

Caroline seemed to petrify at that moment. Her eyes opened wide as they stared into a blind spot beyond Stefan. Her hand held the bag tightly while her freshly lacquered nails scratched the black leather. The other human in the room sighed again. He knew exactly what his words implied. Even more he knew what that sentence meant to her. He stared at the floor for a few moments and then decided to move closer.

"You don’t have to worry, you’re safe.”

She dodged his attempt to touch her and stepped back as far as possible

"Where?"

"New York."

Caroline looked at him in total astonishment

"New York?!"

Stefan nodded as she tried in vain to form some meaningful thoughts. The heart seemed to be about to explode behind her ribs, her head spinning fast even if everything around her looked incredibly still.

He tried to get closer again, barely touching her left arm

"We still don't know why he came back. And we don't even know if he's still in New York state at the moment."

"What do you know then?!"

Caroline rejected him again and reached the file that was in Stefan's hands shortly before. She scrolled nervously through the pages looking for something she couldn't find, as her hands began to tingle she slammed it hard against the shiny desk.

"I gotta leave. As fast as I can."

She didn't even finish talking, her feet sped her fast to the door, her steps stopped at the last moment by Stefan's grip.

"Let me go!"

"Wait."

“For what? For him to find me?"

The officer continued to tighten his grip around her slim waist until he felt her relax just a little bit against his palm.

"He didn't come back for you. You know that."

Caroline closed her eyes. Despite the panic she knew Stefan was right. She breathed in and nodded at the same time, the new oxygen bringing her back to reality.

“He believes I died that day."

She said quietly to an imaginary interlocutor. Stefan let her go and eventually touched her face, moving a lock of her caramel-colored hair behind her ear. She placed her hand on his to stop him, but for a few moments she let that warm sensation linger.

"Why are you telling me this?"

The lieutenant retracted the hand and walked away, his expression suddenly cold and professional. He approached his desk again and then, leaning against the wood, turned his eyes to Caroline

"It's true, he thinks you're dead..."

He took a deep breath with that icy expression still painted on his face. Caroline immediately realized it was no longer his friend Stefan who was speaking, it was Mister Stefan Salvatore, FBI Lieutenant, Deputy Commander of the organized crime section.

"...Maybe it's time he knows you're not.”

Caroline opened her mouth wide, the sentence coming out of Stefan’s mouth sounded totally absurd to her ears, so illogical she really couldn't make sense of it, not after spending the last five years hiding.

"What!?"

As she tried to rationalize, her gaze turned to ice as well. No one would force her to do something she didn't want to, not even him, no matter how much she owed the guy. Despite the appearance, under the steaming ashes, the old Caroline Elizabeth Forbes was still standing.

Stefan slowly moved his palm to smooth the wrinkles on his dark blue tie. The sunlight from the window embraced his strong shoulders and reflected on his badge, that “sacred object” he always kept pinned right to his heart.

“For the first time in years Klaus Mikaelson has set foot on the American ground.” He started "We don't know why he's here yet, but we know for a fact he won't be staying long..."

When she heard that name, a thrill ran through her bones. She hadn't dared to mention the words for years, forbidding even her own mind to think about the man.

“...attempting an attack would be futile, I know…” He kept talking as if she was really listening to his reasons “…As much as I hate to admit it, he's smarter than us… And still has eyes and ears everywhere."

For the fraction of a second the corner of Caroline's mouth rose up in pride, an unconditional reflex apparently really hard to extinguish

"We must give him a good reason to prolong his stay…”

Caroline raised her blue greenish eyes to look at him, her irides challanging his, she had already everything figured out.

“…And you would be the perfect reason."

Stefan concluded his speech without losing her gaze

"No."

The syllable came out of Caroline's lips even more definitive than she wanted. Once again she reached for the door.

"Caroline."

He called her back in a solemn tone. She froze on the threshold cursing her own name. As much as she wanted, she just couldn't get out of that room. The dark blond haired girl turned back on her feet, her eyes glued to the floor. Even if she had to listen to him, she wasn’t willing to give him much more than that heavy silence

"You owe the FBI a lot, remember?"

"I never agreed to something like this."

"I don't think you have much choice here."

Caroline dropped her head back staring at the ceiling. It wasn't really happening. It could’t be really happening

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Her voice sounded frightened. She was scared. The lieutenant felt a punch in the stomach, he hadn't heard that tone for years, not since the first time he had met her, squeezed in her own arms in the interrogation room. Scared and lost she was. He could barely resist consoling her back then, clinging to his sense of duty. Was it still enough to stop him this time?

"I'm sorry.” He offered, Caroline shook the head biting her upper lip, her eyes already veiled with tears. That was it, Stefan decided to kick his sense of duty in the ass and consume the distance between them. He took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him

"It's not up to me, you know. I would never do this to you."

She tried her best to stay still like a statue, but Stefan could definitely feel her trembling, her heart pounding like a machine gun along the veins of her neck. He lifted her chin so they could look straight into each other's eyes.

"Never."

He insisted. Caroline slowly moved and gently put her palms on the back of his hands

"You're doing it right now."

She responded by tightening her grip so that he would stop touching her. She was angry. Within minutes, she had gone from panic to rage.

"Caroline I..."

All of sudden the door creaked again, letting in another agent in a blue suit. Stefan abruptly backed off, his face back to cold and detached in one second. Caroline did not move a muscle, the sight of the man enough to sicken her stomach.

"Good morning honey! It's finally time to pay back the law, aren’t you happy?"

Caroline clenched her fists, she hated that high-pitched voice and that knowing tone. Se hated that smell of Tuscan cigars. She hated Agent McPhee. And more than anything, she hated the fact that he was head of the operational unit

“What if I don't want to do this?"

McPhee sketched an arrogant smile on his face

"Let's just say someone might miss you."

Caroline seemed about to snap straight at him, but Stefan got in the way.

"I was still explaining the plan to her."

McPhee looked down on his partner from head to toe. He couldn't stand the fact that his colleague was always willing to defend that woman. In his eyes, she was nothing but a criminal like all the others. Much prettier maybe, but still as guilty as any other.

"Make her understand that she has no voice in the matter then.”

His words sounded openly acid as he watched Caroline silently shaking behind Officer Salvatore's back. A new smile appeared on his face.

"See you soon, dollface."

With that he deposited a couple of documents on Stefan's desk and left the room.

"If I'm going to jail for life, I might as well kill him first.” She said through gritted teeth as soon as he was out.

The tall brooding agent approached her again ignoring her attempt at sarcasm. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Look, this sucks for me as much as it does for you, but I'm afraid McPhee's right."

She sniffed and looked at him in surrender

"I really don't have a choice, do I?"

He shook his head moving his fingers up and down to caress her bare arms.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Neither to you nor to..."

"What do you want me to do?"

She interrupted him by raising her voice again

"You just need to get him distracted, make him let his guard down for a moment. You have to create an opportunity for us to intervene."

“And you think that showing up out of nowhere like a ghost will be enough?"

"I don't know."

Caroline lowered her eyes and raised them a few moments later.

"If I do it, you’re sure you will you catch him? I mean, he'll be behind bars forever, right?"

"I'll throw the key away myself..."

Stefan grabbed her chin and once again he cast his eyes into her pale ones

"...and you will finally be free."

For a few seconds she just stared at him. In the light of those forest green eyes she could see all his thoughts flowing like a movie. Stefan genuinely cared for her, maybe much more than he should have. He was capable to look at her and see the woman that Caroline could potentially be, a simple, well-balanced human being, a person that never existed, not even before her career in crime. He made her wonder if she could really become that person, he pushed her boundaries in a completely new way and that scared the hell out of her. Those last words echoed in her head. She could be free but the burden of his expectations were stopping her from moving on. But did she want to move on? Was she finally willing to forget Klaus and everything that came with him? Maybe it was time to give it a try. She took a deep breath.

"Okay."

Caroline barely whispered. Stefan frowned and took the chance to move even closer to her, their foreheads almost touching

“What did you say?"

She straightened her back. If she wanted to move on she needed to be the old Caroline just one more time

"Okay... Let's arrest my husband, that son of a bitch.”


	2. I don't know if I can Do It

A/N: Some steroline in this chapter. Be patient, klaroline in the next one :) Forgive mistakes or typos, I'm the mother of 2 under 2 ;))

CHAPTER TWO

“I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO IT”

FOUR AND A HALF YEARS BEFORE

Caroline squeezed her body in her own arms. She felt cold, she had no idea what day it was and still couldn't figure out where she was. They'd taken her, that's for sure, and now they were going to interrogate her. They were going to ask her questions, questions she couldn't answer. She looked at the mirror on her right, someone on the other side was observing her. She tried to look threatening, but she couldn't. She was so afraid, for the first time in her whole life, she was really scared.

Across the glass, Officer Stefan Salvatore, recently appointed deputy chief of the 'Organized Crime' section , tried not to stare at the criminal in front of him. Long locks of light blond hair, greenish blue irisis, very pale skin and purple circles under the eyes. And yet she was beautiful, so beautiful that he coudn't really blame Klaus Mikaelson for marrying her. But was she really that dangerous? Looking at her like that, Mrs Mikaelson looked just terrified.

An agent in a blue suit walked in and slammed the door. He was carrying an intense smell of freshly smoked cigar. "We finally meet Mrs. Mikaelson!" Caroline followed him with her eyes as he took his seat before her.

"I'm Agent Todd McPhee and I'm looking forward to having a nice chat with you." The officer, a fierce man in his late forties, put his elbows on the table. "The doctor says you might still be confused, but I'm sure you can tell us a lot of interesting things already." Caroline swallowed and looked up "I don't know... I don't even know what happened to me." He flaunted a fake smile and drummed his fingers on the metal. "There's time for that. Now I just want to know where your lovely husband is." A flash crossed Caroline's mind, a sudden memory, a painful memory. "I... I don't... I don't know." She responded by nervously shaking her head. "Don't play games with me dollface. Where is he hiding?" The blonde girl frowned, staring into the empty space. She started gesturing but nothing came out of her mouth. Caroline truly had no idea what was going on. Agent McPhee stood up and walked around her like a predator, a sound of false appreciation excaped his thin lips. His wet fingers slowly touched her neck. She winced.

"I don't know... I can't remember... I don't know!" The agent's touch became a light grip around her slim neck "Where is he?" He asked again in a brutal tone. Caroline felt like she was about to suffocate, she wanted to vomit. Her body was shaking but she didn't utter a word. "That's enough." The officer tightened his grip as he brought his freshly shaved face closer to her ear. "Look, I really could hurt you here."

Caroline's eyes were filled with tears, if she had any answer at all she would have spit it out but she had none. The blonde just tried to squeeze the officer's arm, hoping he'd let go. At that very moment the door opened wide and slammed even louder than the first time. "That's enough McPhee!" Reluctantly the older officer let go and turned to the new guy "Come on Dair! She has to know!" - "It's the first time she sets foot outside the hospital. She's still confused." - "Do you really believe that?" - "It doesn't take a genius to figure out she's not lying..." Officer Salvatore walked towards his colleague "...I'll take it from here." - "But the interrogations are my job." - "I'm your superior now, remember?" Agent McPhee's eyes became two narrow slits. "Hope you know what you're doing then, kid." And with that acid retort he left the room.

Agent Salvatore looked at the girl in front of him. She was shaking. He inhaled deeply and took his place on the other side of the table. He tried to look at her, but Caroline kept her head down. "Caroline Forbes, right?" He started calling her by her maiden name, trying to sound as nice as possible. "I am Officer Stefan Salvatore." He got no answer, "How are you feeling?" Caroline's head lifted slowly. The kindness she read on the officer's face seemed genuine and Caroline unintentionally found herself admiring his deep green eyes. This policeman was younger and taller than the first one, with strong, masculine features and perfectly waxed hair. "I don't know." Stefan nodded trying to maintain the aplomb expected from him. "You were in a coma for ten months..." Caroline frowned as he continued "...You only woke up a week ago. It's totally normal if you still don't remember everything." She looked at her hands and an unexpected image imposed itself on the present one. Her hands were covered in blood, her own blood. "What will you do to me now?" Stefan raised his shoulders "It's too early to tell. But if you decide to cooperate, I'm sure things will be better for you." She looked at him as if she couldn't understand. "What exactly do you remember?" Caroline looked around the room and the muscles of her face tensed. She really didn't know where to start "They caught us..." She began by trying to give a logical order to her confused memories "...Everything was perfectly set up, It was gonna be our big hit, the last one...” For a split second she smiled "...but we had been intercepted. There was a mole in our midst and they caught us..." Her eyes opened wide "...There was a shooting and I... And I..." Those seconds played in her mind like a movie. Tony had suddenly pulled out his gun and she had turned into stone. Next to her, Klaus had contracted his jaw and every other muscle in his body. In a single instant everything had changed, no armored vehicles to rob, just the footsteps of what looked like a thousand officers, ready to unload their guns on them. Caroline, Damon, Elena and the others had moved back to back to form a circle. Even when they managed to grab their guns, it was clear that they were totally screwed.

Her eyes horrified "...I'm dead." Eventually she recalled the sensations she had felt in that moment. An unbearable cold, an irresistible need to close her eyes, a huge weight pulling her down by the legs. There was a hellish noise around her, gunfires, people screaming, police sirens and yet she couldn't hear anything. Even her wounds no longer burned. She just wanted to sleep, so she closed her eyes without too much worry, she was more than sure that Klaus would've saved her once again.

"Caroline?" Using her first name came naturally to Mr Salvatore, that girl was miles away from every other criminal he'd ever met. He couldn't believe she was the monster everyone was painting. Suddenly Caroline stood up and made him jump in his chair. She put her hands on her stomach. "Oh my God!" Immediately she started crying big tears in front of him.

Stefan was petrified, he couldn't stand the sight of women crying, plus her crying was so desperate it made him feel even more powerless. "Don't cry, please." Caroline didn't even seem to hear it, she fell to her knees right in front of him.

Stefan looked in the mirror, his collegues were observing him, he knew his credibility was at stake but he didn't care. Kneeling slowly, he tried to touch her. "Caroline?" She withdrew "Caroline?" He asked again and she finally decided to lift her puffy eyes. Lieutenent Salvatore sighed with relief "Don't worry. She's all right." The crying stopped in a second, an expression of total desblief appeared on her face "Her?" Stefan nodded and Caroline's heart began to beat again. She was alive, in that moment she knew she really was.

PRESENT

Officer Salvatore would rather wear bourgeois clothing than a uniform, a pair of jeans and a monochrome T-shirt made his perfect outfit but still, every time he took off his tie and suit, he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. He didn't want to be that kind of agent, he was trying hard to keep his work and his personal life separated, but considering where he stood, the plan wasn't exactely working. He was wearing a cobalt blue T-shirt that night, looking for Caroline. Her apartment wasn't too big, with cream-colored walls and a two-seater red faux leather sofa. He smiled looking around, the place was a total mess, but despite the chaos, everything seemed to have its own place. Creative people just can't live outside their messed-up world, can they?

"Caroline??" He called out "Where are you?" She had to be there, he'd called her just 20 minutes before. When he walked inside the bedroom, Stefan realized Caroline was right under his nose. Sitting on the floor in the corner, she was clutching her own knees. "Hey!" Sketching a smile, he sit against the wall right next to her. "Are you ok?" She shrugged "I don't know if I can do it..." Caroline bit her lip looking at the wall in front of her "...I don't want to see him again. I really don't want to." Stefan put his head against the wall. "I'm sure you'll make it." Caroline turned her head to face him and raised an eyebrow. "A bit corny for an encouragement, don't you think?" He let a smile slip through his lips and stared back at her "What do you want me to say then?" - "Just the truth." Stefan nodded and took his time. He wasn't good at telling the truth, but even if he couldn't be honest, he certainly could be rational, clear and concise. "Okay..." He began by looking forward "...The FBI will provide you with full coverage. According to the official version, we captured you that day, cured you and then threw you in jail. We wanted you to cooperate with us, but you never agreed..." Caroline also looked at the bare wall in front of her "...About a month ago, during a conversion operation, I don't know how but you managed to escape, probably with the help of an internal mole. You know, nobody ever escapes from headquarters, but I'm sure you could." - "Yeah. I should have tried that a few years ago." Stefan ignored her sarcasm "From tomorrow you'll be free, and you'll have to act exactly as you used to do five years ago." Eden clutched her lips looking confused. "Do you want me to start robbing again?" - "That would surely make sense... Anyway, you'll have to reconnect with your old friends, go back to the old meeting places. You'll have to make them trust you again." Caroline turned completely serious and gave him a new concerned look "Do you want me to reach for him?" Stefan shook his head, "No. He'll find you, and I'm sure he won't be long." - "What do you mean?" - "We've already dropped a couple of informants who are spreading the word about your return. As soon as it gets to his ears, I'm sure he'll move heaven and earth to find you. At least that's what I'd do in his place." The sudden silence fell like a boulder and Caroline felt her stomach close. She had no words to say to him so she just smiled. Stefan lowered his gaze first. "A couple of undercover agents will monitor the situation until Mikaelson comes into play." - "What does that mean?" Caroline suddenly felt much more agitated. "If he takes you back, as we hope he will, then we can no longer monitor you. You know that man is controlling everything and I don't want to risk him finding out about you. We don't know how he would react." Stefan took a long pause before speaking again "You gotta play your part Caroline, make him trust you. And only when the time comes you will contact us again, just when you're sure you can give us exact coordinates. Never before." She breathed deeply "If anything happens to me..." - "Nothing will happen to you." He interrupted her. "But if anything should happen to me..." She pressed the palm of her hand against Stefan's mouth before he could speak again "...Promise me you'll take care of everything. Only you. No one else." Caroline gently took his hand and held it in hers "You are the only person to whom I would entrust what is most precious to me." His eyes shone "I promise you."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Caroline contracted her muscles and put pressure on her legs to get up. "Okay. Since I have a busy day ahead of me, I should probably go to sleep now."

"Eden..."

There was some kind of exasperation in the lieutenant's voice. He stood up too. "...Please Wait." She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. "I don't want to talk about it." - "But don't you think we should do it anyway?" Caroline ran her hands through her hair sighing.

He approached her "You didn't have to leave like that." She lowered her eyes. "You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you." - "Don't mock me." Her gaze rose firm and determined "Okay. Truth is, I thought it would be less unpleasant to leave while you were asleep than wait for you to wake up." - "Bullshit." - "It's the truth. I didn't want to do it, it just happened."

A single deep wrinkle appeared on Stefan's forehead, which meant he was hurt or upset "You didn't want to?" - "No... Yes... I mean no, no. I shouldn't have done it." Caroline babbled, she really didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't tell the things he needed to hear, especially when she was going to meet the man who was still her husband. The officer came even closer to her "You shouldn't have done it or you didn't you want to do it? They're two totally different things." _And I deserve to know_ Stefan closed his mouth to keep those last words trapped, the cut in his pride was deep but there was no need to show it to her. Caroline swallowed up finding him so close to her. She couldn't deny being attracted to him, no woman could be blind to that face or those perfectly shaped abs of him. She shook her head to erase that very memory. "Whatever answer I could give you tonight won't change anything." Stefan nodded, his eyes down to the floor. 

The moment he lifted his eyes, without Caroline even noticing, Stefan's lips rushed against hers, blocking that ensecure woman in a firm kiss. She barely staggered, but Stefan's arm was ready to support her, taking advantage of that moment of weakness to thigten his grip around her waist. Part of Caroline would've wanted to respond, but she was too scared, too anxious, maybe too confused to deepen that kiss. She had Stefan's lips on hers but suddenly all she could think about was Klaus' mouth, his tongue dancing, the way his stubble tikled her cheek. In spite of those thoughts, Caroline layed her hands on the officer's chest, not to stop him this time. He didn't seem too disappointed when their lips parted, he knew the woman in his arms all too well to expect more than that

"I can't believe I'm sending you back to him." He whispered, resting his forehead against hers. She couldn't smile and she couldn't recognize the feeling burning inside of her. She was gonna see her husband again. The man she married when she was only 19, the man she fell in love with when she was only 16, the man who made her change her whole life. The same man who then let her die. Whatever future she could imagine in front of her, just couldn't compare with that past. Caroline gently caressed Stefan's face.

"See you soon."

Trying to be convincing, wanting nothing more than being alone, she painted a big smile on her face "Promise me you'll be careful." He demanded "I promise you." - "And you won't break the rules." - "I promise." He pointed his finger at her "And you won't get involved." Caroline sighed rolling her eyes "You said It'll be all right, didn't you?" Stefan nodded, he had to be professional, pack his pride and go back home "See you in the morning, then." - "See you in the morning." She repeated as he turned his back on her and reached the door.

Lieutenent Salvatore didn't look back, clenching his fists he pressed the handle and headed home. The greatest mission of his career was going to start tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi! Finally some Klaroline, please let me know what you think. Thank you!

THINGS HAVE CHANGED

New York was her home. Caroline hadn't set foot in the city for almost five years and yet nothing seemed to have changed. The lights, the yellow cabs, the chaos, the place had the exact same sound and the exact same smell.

Officer Derrick had dropped her off at the Chicago station that morning at 3a.m. and she had jumped off the car just after receiving the last orders from McPhee and Dair.

"Make a wrong move dollface and I can assure you, you will get no special treatment this time." The first had spat. Not only he hated her, but he also lacked any kind of empathy or compassion. Caroline was sure McPhee was secretely praying for her to make that bad move just so he could say “I was right”.

"Be careful." Stefan had said giving her just a brief glance. He wanted to hide the nervous expression on his face. She knew he didn't like this plan, she didn't like it either. Nonetheless she'd boarded the train and was now finally walking the streets of the metropolis like a free woman. _Free Woman._ She blocked her steps in the middle of the street hardly refreining from slapping herself. _I'm a fugitive!_

She immediately pulled up the hood of her black sweatshirt to cover her face. The act was officially starting. I _'m an escapee looking for a place to go. Where could I go?_ She wondered.

A lot of places appeared in her head, villas, apartments, clubs, suburban cafes. Looking in her heart, finally feeling free to listen to her hidden thoughts, she admitted to herself there was only one place she wanted to go to. If she needed to reconcile with her old self, she had to go back to the start, the place where everything started. Caroline mimetically turned to see if she was being followed. She had specifically asked that no one would follow and apparently, at least apparently, she had been heard.

She knew the officers were still there somewhere, but not being able to see them made her feel better. She needed some time with herself. She turned the corner and looked over the hedge.

_Dwight high school_. Upper west side. Her old high school.

\------

ABOUT 10 YEARS EARLIER

Caroline hated Polly Trice. That toned, flexible bitch was trying really hard to steal her place as cheerleader captain. “ _You could always play volleyball._ ” She had said after a double flip and a perfect split. Caroline was boiling with rage. She didn't even like being a cheerleader, but that was her only way to blend in that pompous society and she was not willing to give it up. Without the pom-poms and the scandalously short skirt, she would've been forced to admit she was nothing more than an average teen.

As soon as she turned the corner around the school, she took the cigarette out of her bag. She really needed to smoke, that day was going even worse than the others.

She lit the cigarette and breathed in. There was no much time left before history but she was going to enjoy it anyway. She spat out the smoke in a long trail.

"Got one for me?"

Caroline closed her eyes ready to curse, if some professor had caught her smoking again, she would have had to put up with her mother's self-pity for at least a month.

"Hey?"

She turned with a firm gesture and instantly stayed still. Well, at least he wasn't a professor.

"Do you have a cigarette or not?"

Caroline quickly went through the bag, pulled out another blonde and handed it to the guy in front of her.

"Thank you."

He grabbed it and rushed it to his mouth, promptly pulling out the lighter. Caroline couldn't help but staring like a total weirdo.

He was Klaus Mikaelson.

Senior year, one of the students with the worst reputation. Not only was he not rich, but he was also said to be a thief. Or a drug dealer. Or both. She only knew by hearsay and had never been this close to him before. She could now understand why, despite the rumors, all the girls in high school drooled at the idea of dating him.

Unusual, perfectly harmonious features. Tough-guy expression. Dark blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect full lips and a hint of stubble to match the rebellious hair.

He looked up from his thoughts. Caroline instantly felt like a fool and hardly refrained from blushing.

"Are you new?"

He asked without really looking at her. That was enough for Caroline to come back to her sad reality.

"No."

She responded rolling her eyes

"Weird. I've never seen you before."

She shrugged

"It's normal. I think I have the gift of invisibility."

She was trying her best sarcasm but still that's exactly how she felt. Caroline had no real friends to share her secret interests and besides her shoe collection and the expensive car, had nothing in common with that mass of brainless rich kids. She was also about to lose her only source of popularity to Polly Trice so...

"You shouldn't complain. It's a very useful skill."

Caroline sighed as if he had just tried to offend her. He certainly didn't have that kind of problems, that face was more than enough to be noticed. She took an even deeper breath, if it hadn't been her only chance to smoke, she'd have left in a hurry. The beautiful guy sounded like a total jerk.

"Sure, right."

She replied. Klaus sketched a dimpled smile without looking at her. He barely parted his lips to spit a thin greyish trail of smoke.

"Oh, I was about to forget. You're all the same."

Caroline lifted her eyebrows moving a lock of light blonde hair behind her ear. That tone of his was so annoying.

"Sorry?"

He kept staring at an imaginary point in front of him

"High society girls. When they look at you, you complain because they look at you and when they don't you complain because they don't."

Caroline was perplexed, nervous and annoyed at the same time

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He turned to look at her with a fluid movement of his head

"You were complaining, weren't you?"

"No!"

"It sounded like a complain to me."

He responded by lifting his shoulders and swinging the cigarette between his lips. The blonde girl clenched her fists looking for a sharp response, but couldn't find it.

"You don't even know me!"

He raised an eyebrow, that rush of anger was unexpected. He must have hit a nerve, but the girl looked even prettier with blushed cheeks

"I don't need a degree to guess what kind of girl I'm talking to."

Caroline felt the instant urge to punch that cocky face.

"You've never even seen me before today, hence you don't know anything about me!"

Klaus dangled his head as if he was thinking about it, then took the cigarette between his fingers and after spitting the last puff of smoke he looked at her.

"Maybe I know a lot more about you than you think."

Caroline frowned. She wouldn't stay there and let the first guy make fun of her. Especially if it was someone with a lousy reputation. She threw the cigarette butt to the ground and stepped on it to stop the fire right away.

"I got class now."

With a bittersweet feeling on her tongue, she buttoned her light denim jacket and walked away.

"See ya!"

He yelled at her.

\------

Caroline abruptely stopped the flow of her memories. That really wasn't the kind of memory she needed. _Think about what he did to you. What he turned you into._

She closed her eyes. There was somewhere else she needed to go right away. A genuine smile appeared on her face as she ran down the subway stairs. Brooklyn was waiting for her return.

\---------

Café Des Artistes.

What better place? Once men of letters, artists and philosophers met in cafés to exchange theories and opinions. Today it's not so different, only the topics of conversation have changed.

It was almost midnight when Caroline pushed the glass door and heard the bell ringing. That familiar sound made her jump right back into the past.

She'd spent days in that place. It was in that little club in Brooklyn, in the bohemian Dumbo neighborhood, that she and the others used to meet. That's where they exchanged opinions with other people “in the business”. It was in that tiny café they spent nights and afternoons smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Everyone except her, Caroline was not the beer type, champagne was her thing and that was not to be served in a place like that. Cinnamon coffee was amazing instead.

She took a few steps with her head down, she was afraid to find out the place wasn't the same. She could be a stranger in her own home. In one slow motion she pulled up her face and let the hood slide over her shoulders.

The walls still had the same dark brick red color. The paintings on the wall may have changed, there and then she couldn't remember. The tables had different tablecloths, while the worn leather of the armchairs was still the same. She smiled, caressing the old jukebox with her eyes. _If only I had a quarter in my pocket._

A sudden sound of broken glass made her jerk. She turned around.

"I can't believe it!"

Bonnie had dropped the coffee pot on the floor and was now standing there with eyes wide open and hands over the mouth. Caroline widened her smile.

"So it's true what they say... There's no way you're really here!"

Bonnie threw herself at her, holding Caroline in an incredulous embrace. It felt so good. The blonde stopped the hug to look at her. Bonnie Bennett, long black wavy hair and smooth amber skin that she had always secretly envied. All thanks to her liberian father. She didn't think she was still serving coffee in that place.

"I can't believe it!"

"And here I am."

"Is it true what they say? Did you run from the feds?"

Caroline shrugged

"It took me a while, but I finally made it."

Bonnie's face lit up once again

"I'm so happy!"

Caroline lowered her eyes, she wanted to reciprocate that enthusiasm but still didn't know how to feel.

"Are you all right?"

Bonnie beckoned her to approach the counter and offered her old friend a cup of cinnamon coffee.

"Yes. It's just that... I still have to get used to the idea of being back."

"And you're not the only one! Do you have any idea what a ruckus is going to break out as soon as everyone knows it's true?"

Caroline felt a twinge in her stomach. She couldn't help but hope that the news would leak as slowly as possible.

"I don't know... I don't really know what I'm going to do yet."

The other one nodded

"If you need to hide, I can help you."

"I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry about me."

Caroline moved the spoon into the steaming beverage. The plan had started and she already felt like she couldn't fit in it. In her head she had a thousand questions, but her heart wasn't ready to know yet.

Bonnie leaped to her feet and looked around, she had totally forgot about her job, earning a bunch of angry looks from her costumers.

"Drink that coffee. I'll be with you as soon as I kick the last of these idiots out. Guess we're gonna need a lot of catch up."

Bonnie walked behind the counter and Caroline followed her with the eyes. She couldn't help but look at her. With an orange t-shirt, a pair of denim and her black apron on, she hadn't changed at all. The fugitive still remembered perfectly well the night she first met Bonnie, but she also had to admit the waitress was not the real reason why that evening was so etched in her memory.

10 YEARS EARLIER

That night Caroline was wearing her new floral dress, high heels and the latest Prada bag. Her platinum hair was perfectly styled with soft beach waves and the black kajal made her blue eyes pop out, yet she was uncomfortable. When her cheerleading teammates begged her to go to the party at Sam Martins' (school quaterback) house she couldn't decline, but now she was wandering among a bunch of drunk and over-excited teenagers.

Exploring the thousand rooms of Sam's mansion, she miraculously seemed to have found an oasis of peace. No deafening music came from that room down the hall. She approached hoping not to find yet another couple intent on having wild sex on the first useful surface.

"Caroline!"

Lauren's chirping voice crossed the hallway and instantly blocked her footsteps

"Where are you going?"

In no time at all, she'd caught up with her. Caroline distractedly pointed to the room in front of her

"I was just looking for a quiet place. This music is giving me a headache."

Lauren warned her with a look

"We're here to have fun Care, you should have a beer."

Caroline shook her head and approached the door ajar. That room wasn't as empty as she'd hoped, there was a whole group of boys and girls having a lively conversation. Lauren peeped out from behind her and gave an expression of disgust

"Bunch of losers."

"What? Do you know them?"

Lauren raised an eyebrow

"Of course not!"

"But you said they're a bunch of losers, how do you know?"

"See that girl with the black hair?"

"The one with dark skin?"

Lauren nodded

"That's Bonnie Bennett. She's from Brooklyn. I know because she had a job interview as a maid at dad's hotel. They say she's out of her mind."

"Out of her mind?"

"She certainly has some strange interests. Witchcraft, esotericism, stuff like that. I'd stay away from her if I were you..."

Caroline stopped listening and looked at the stranger. Those few words had suddenly made her much more interesting. She was wearing a striped maxi dress that night, with flat sandals and a long shining necklace.

"I don't even understand what she's doing here with her friends! They should stay in Brooklyn!"

Lauren revived her copper hair with her fingers

"Shall we go back now?"

Caroline looked at her friend again, her “supposed to be sexy” pout could be so annoying

"Go ahead. I'm gonna pop to the ladies' room first."

"See you in an hour then, the line for the bathroom is endless!"

Caroline smiled but did not move as Lauren swayed away from her. Slowly she turned her eyes inside the room again. _Witchcraft? Esotericism? I wonder if it is true._

At that moment Bonnie looked up and crossed her gaze. They looked at each other for just one second before Caroline backed away.

_I want to go home._

Caroline decided she was going to take a cab and then send a message to Lauren to tell her. She sped upstairs to Sam's parents' room, where she hoped to quickly find her jacket in the pile, possibly without vomit or other organic substances smeared on it.

She opened the door nonchalantely but had to stop on the threshold. Caroline bit her lip not sure what to do in that unusual situation. In front of her a more than amused Klaus Mikaelson.

"Look who's back! The invisible girl."

Caroline kinked an eyebrow noticing his arm, tucked up to the elbow in Polly Trice's cheerleading bag.

Klaus pulled out some cash and put it in his pocket with ease. He then dropped the bag and devoted all his attention to Caroline. As he kept staring at her from head to toe, not so secretely indulging on her generous cleavage, she couldn't help but catch an expression of clear appreciation.

Caroline felt her heart reach her throat in a moment. An inopportune smile was about to appear on her face, but she forced herself to look unimpressed.

"Are you thinking of a way to buy my silence?"

She asked and he responded with a confident, damn sensual, look

"Should I?"

Caroline's blood seemed to start flowing backwards, blowing her head off. She leaned against the doorjamb.

"Since that bag was Polly's, and since I deeply hate her, you can rest assured. I won't say anything."

He gave her a dimpled smile, but Caroline refrained from looking. She silently approached the pile of coats, digged a little bit and pulled out her leather jacket, apparently intact. She slipped it on and tried to tuck the door.

"Wait."

Klaus petrified her on the threshold with what had been just a whisper.

He came up to her.

"Let's go outside."

Caroline instantly blushed.

"Going out with you?"

Like a magic trick, Klaus pulled a cigarette out of nowhere and waved it in front of her.

"I owe you a cigarette, don't I?"

\------

In the garden the situation was much calmer. Klaus reached a bench in a semi-dark corner, sat down and pulled out his lighter. Caroline took her seat leaving as much space between them as possible.

"I didn't think you were into this kind of parties."

He said after breathing a little smoke.

"I could say the same." She retorted and Klaus smiled again.

"I think I've already dispelled your doubt."

He responded by referring to how he had caught him red-handed. Caroline felt she was getting nervous again, that boy seemed to be constantly having fun behind her back.

"I solved yours too then. As I told you a few days ago, you know nothing about me."

Caroline breathed the bitter smoke of the cigarette while Klaus seemed to hesitate for a few seconds.

"Not to be repetitive, but as I've already told you, I know a lot more about you than you think."

This time it was Caroline who smiled

"Really?"

"Mm mm."

Convinced to catch him out, Caroline stood up and boldly looked at him

"For example?"

Klaus spat out a circle of smoke while looking into the void, he seemed to be concentrating as if he had to invent something on the fly.

"For example... I know you're secretely in the book club and your favorite is Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"... I know that despite your role you hate cheerleading... And I know your mom drives a Mercedes and is probably a bitch. Or at least she looks like a bitch."

Caroline opened her mouth wide not knowing whether to be flattered or scared

"You spied on me?!"

He shrugged with an innocent expression on his face

"I just looked at you."

Caroline's heart started pumping so fast she couldn't breathe. “ _You're too smart to be seduced by a thief”_ she reminded herself.

"There's just one last thing I want to know..."

He continued

"...Your name."

Caroline looked shocked

"You know all these things and you don't know my name?"

He smiled once more

"Of course I know, but I'd like to hear it from you."

Swallowing the taste of smoke, Caroline gathered some courage and extended a hand trying to make it shake as little as possible.

"Caroline Forbes."

He shook her hand, sweet and firm at the same time. She felt electricity pass through her, from her lower abdomen to the tip of her hair. Breaking the contact and rolling her thumbs she desperately looked for a way to ease the tension.

"Caroline Forbes.” He repeated letting the R roll on his tongue. It was like hearing her own name for the first time, the low tone of his voice was yet another blow to her self-control.

"Can I ask you a question?"

She asked needing to change the subject

"Shoot. I have nothing to hide!"

She shily looked at him

"Why are you coming to Dwight?"

He raised his eyebrows

"I mean..."

She tried to take the question back, but Klaus interrupted her.

"I see what you mean. Why am I in a school for rich people and daddy's kids if I'm not rich or a daddy's kid?"

"That's not exactly how I would have said it."

Klaus continued to stare into the void

"It's okay, don't worry, I understand your doubt.” He took his time “The thing is, my mother was from a good family, she was loaded I mean. But then she died...” His gaze went to the ground “So now my maternal grandparents, who I haven't seen in almost ten years, are trying to wash their conscience by paying me Dwight's tuition."

"I'm sorry."

Caroline felt obliged to say it. She didn't even know whether or not to believe what he was saying.

"What about you?"

She gave it a second's thought

"Why am I going to Dwight?"

Klaus threw the cigarette butt out and tried to find a more comfortable position on the icy bench.

"Not really. What I'd like to know is how someone like you, with money and a name, can be out of place in a school made for people with money and a pretentious name. I mean, I've got the social class excuse, but what about you?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Caroline wondered if she could reciprocate his alleged sincerity.

"I don't. Maybe it's my fault, maybe it's my father's fault. My mom says he was some kind of alcoholic, sociopathic artist. Maybe it's a DNA inheritance."

She'd never told anyone about her father, never confessed she was scared to be like him.

This time Klaus didn't smile.

"I think you just ended up in the wrong place. Sometimes it happens in the big universal chaos."

Caroline curled her nose as if he had just said a meaningless sentence.

"You think so?"

Klaus surprised her by putting a completely new expression on his face. That sweet gaze let her glimpse a whole world beyond his eyes.

"Don't worry Caroline, that's something we can fix."

\------

"Hey!"

Bonnie brought her back to reality. Caroline hadn't realized the place was now closed down, nor that her friend had sat next to her.

"Sorry. I was just... thinking."

"There's a lot of memories here, right?"

Caroline nodded. She had just relived one of the most significant ones, that was probably the night she had fallen in love with her husband without even noticing it. Screw you Klaus Mikaelson.

Bonnie suddenly got serious.

"Are you looking for him?"

Caroline awoke completely from her daydream.

The plan. THE FBI. Stefan.

She shook her head firmly and whispered

"No."

Bonnie sighed scratching a stain off the counter.

"I couldn't help you anyway. I haven't seen Klaus in a long time, not since..."

_Your death_. Bonnie bit her tongue and Caroline took a long breath before asking

"They haven't come here anymore?"

"Not once. You can't even imagine how things have changed. Nothing has been the same."

Caroline tried to shove her nails into the wood of the counter. She felt relieved knowing she wasn't meeting any of her old friends yet.

"Only Damon..."

Bonnie just had to pronounce that name to regain her attention

"...he still comes by here sometimes."

"What? Isn't he staying with Klaus and the others?"

Bonnie sighed once again and gave her a bitter look

"I told you Caroline. Things have changed."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Bonnie had been really helpful, especially by offering her a place to sleep in the basement of the café. It wasn't great of course, the walls were oozing moisture and her makeshift bed was set among old crates of cheep beer and boxes of rat poison,

nonetheless it was a safe place to hide.

_"Just Damon. He still comes by here sometimes."_

Bonnie's words kept echoing in her mind as she spent her time hoping to finally see her old friend entering the door. She was anxious but needed to find a connection with her past world and Damon was the safest option.

Damon Matthews, one of them. Pitch-black hair, ice blue eyes, pale skin and introspectuos attitude. He could easily pass for the intellectual of the group, spending his time reading old books, but Caroline knew it wasn't his true nature, it was his mission. Damon had a brother, a twin brother who died in a car accident the summer before he joined the group. The poor boy used to write a diary each single night, it was his dream to become a writer and publish his first novel before turning 20. Short after his death, Damon decided he would be the one to fulfill his brother's dream so he started reading, researching and studying so he could finish his novel.

That was Damon's Reason.

They all had a reason for stealing. Some might say it was just an excuse, but still... That was his _good_ reason. He would save up all the money he needed and then he would retire to an island in the French Polynesia or maybe to the bohemian quarter of London and there, he would write the novel of the century. By the name of his brother, of course.

Caroline cared for him. She really did, so she would have waited months in that place if she had to, leaning at the counter, drinking coffee, hoping that Klaus would never find her. She spent her time running through her thousand memories, waiting for Damon to finally show up.

\------

9 YEARS and HALF BEFORE

"Hey, invisible girl!"

Caroline closed her eyes and sighed, blocking her high heels in the middle of Fifth Avenue. How the hell did Klaus Mikaelson show up out of nowhere at all the wrong times?

"Where are you going?"

Caroline instinctively ran her hand through her hair and pointed to the building a few yards away.

"My mother's waiting for me."

He smiled like a child in a candy shop.

"Come with me somewhere then."

Of course he used his "you can't refuse" tone. The lower one, wrapping like a warm blanket on Christmas night. .

"Why on earth would I go anywhere with you?"

She responded looking far more annoyed than she really was. Klaus bypassed a couple of unsuspecting bystanders and walked right by her.

"First of all, because it'll be more interesting than anything you could do with your mother, and second..."

He became the usual tempting devil

"...because you're dying to come with me."

Caroline looked at her feet. He was damn right. She looked up and pointed her finger at him

"Just because the alternative is my mother, let's be clear!"

And there it was again, his glorious dimpled smile.

\------

"Café des Artistes? A bit overused as a name, isn't it?"

In front of the little café Caroline kept hesitating. Klaus was smoking another cigarette.

"You've never been in a place like this before, believe me."

Caroline couldn't help but believe him. She had dined at the Four Seasons and slept in the best suite at the Palace Hotel. How could a little café in Dumbo compete with all that?

When they opened the door, the sound of a bell welcomed them. It was an almost kitsch touch, but Caroline liked it. That and the jukebox at the end of the room, she'd always wanted one.

Klaus moved casually, while she stayed a few steps behind.

To her right, sitting alone, a black-haired boy in a blue hoodie looked all caught up in the book he was reading. Caroline bent over just to peek at the cover, "The _Portrait of Dorian Grey"_. She couldn't stop a smile, one of her favorite novels.

A little further on, a girl with long brown hair was chirping with a guy dressed in flannel. She was beautiful, he was an affront to style.

She looked up and was taken aback. Wearing a dark green apron, Bonnie Bennett was scrubbing the counter, the same Bonnie from the party, the Brooklyn witch. Small world.

"Can I offer you a drink?"

Klaus' voice made her jerk

"Why are we here?"

He shrugged

"I wanted to introduce you to some friends."

Caroline frowned. Why would Klaus Mikaelson want to introduce her to his friends? She practically didn't even know him in the first place. Klaus walked over to the table

"Let's start with Damon. I'm sure you'll like him."

The boy taken from Oscar Wilde raised his light blue eyes. Caroline still had the same dumb-eyed look on her face from moments before.

"Hi, I'm Damon!"

He greeted without too much hassle, but with a genuine smile.

"And this is Caroline..."

Klaus anticipated her

"...Damon's like you. He likes books."

Caroline still didn't understand, but she smiled and waved anyway. Klaus pointed to the brunette with the guy in flannel

"That's Elena."

Caroline just nodded, but she loved her boots.

"And that's Rebekah over there. My sister."

The blonde-haired girl was standing on the sidelines, brooding over God knows what.

"Your sister?"

Wow, so he was now introducing her to her family too. Caroline narrowed her eyes observing the cute blonde who actually shared many features with her brother and for the first time she was forced to wonder _What the hell does Klaus Mikaelson want from me?_

\------

PRESENT

When the bell rang once again, Caroline didn't even notice, not until she was covered by Bonnie's shadow. The waitress cleared her voice by nodding towards the door.

Caroline barely turned around and it only took her a second to jump up.

"Damon!"

He looked up as he pulled off his jacket, but his gestures remained in mid-air.

"Jesus Christ!"

No other words came out of his mouth. Caroline covered the distance in a few moments and threw her arms around his neck. Damon had been her best friend. She had missed him so much.

He took her face in his hands

"Is that really you? I can't believe it!"

Caroline couldn't stop smiling.

"I've missed you!"

Damon still seemed incredulous, his eyes were glowing and he couldn't stop touching her

"You're not dead!"

He exclaimed

"You're not dead!"

He Repeated

"You're not dead!"

He finally convinced himself by taking her back into his arms and turning her around under the prying eyes of the customers. Almost everyone there was part of the same milieu, but only a few knew the true story of Caroline Mikaelson.

On the other hand, they knew Damon and had never seen him smile like that.

\------

The dampness in the basement could reach the bones. They'd locked themselves in there so they could talk a little. Caroline had slipped against the wall and was now squeezing her own knees. Damon was still walking up and down the room.

"You have no idea how I feel right now..."

He kept gesticulating

"...we thought you were dead. I saw you there and you were..."

He stopped in the middle of the room

"...they were on to us, I wanted to do something but I had to get away, I..."

"Damon?"

Caroline spoke quietly. Talking about that day still aroused a deep anger in her, but that anger hadn't been saved for Damon. She didn't blame him for what happened to her.

Damon looked at her with sad eyes.

"Come here."

She ordered and after a long sigh, he moved to sit beside her friend.

"It wasn't your fault." She said.

Damon silently stared at the ceiling for a while

"I'm sorry."

He finally said

"I know."

A pause of deep silence followed. They both needed it. It wasn't easy for Damon to accept that Caroline was still alive and it was far from easy for Caroline to be there with him, on the thin line between present and past.

"I don't wanna talk about that day. I wanna know what happened next."

Finally Caroline spoke again. He didn't look at her as he started

"It was a total mess..."

Damon seemed to slip slowly into his own flashback

"...Rebekah and I were hurt. Klaus was... Well, he was..."

Caroline contracted her jaw and clenched her fists. It was hard to listen, everything she had only imagined for years was slowly becoming real through Damon's words. He couldn't help but notice her change of mood

"We stayed hidden for a while...” He quickly changed the subject “...I can't tell if it was days or weeks. Time seemed to work differently those days. But as soon as the dust settled, Joe Birnes got us a safe flight to Europe."

"Europe?"

"Paris. Marcel still had contacts there and they offered us a good cover."

Caroline furrowed her eyebrows

"If you went with them, why did you come back?"

Damon looked down, his gaze a few shades darker

"Things were completely different..."

He clenched his fists

"...Your death had broken every balance among us. Elena couldn't recover. I tried to help her, but I couldn't. Rebekah got even quieter than usual, and Klaus... Well, he..."

Caroline inhaled deeply

"He?"

Damon searched for the best way to say it

"He wasn't Klaus anymore. Not the Klaus we knew."

"What do you mean?"

Damon looked at her, barely shaking his head

"I don't know if we should talk about this."

Caroline swallowed and stood still

"I need to know, Damon."

She sounded so determined. He looked down again and licked his lips

"I don't really know. I expected him to cry, to fall apart or at least to freak out like the rest of us but... He turned into someone else. Cold, unscrupulous, rash. While we were still wondering what we should do, he had already... ...moved on."

Caroline felt her stomach close, an intense burning sensation hit her sternum.

"Do you remember Caroline? We did it for a reason, we all had a good reason to steal that money..."

Caroline nodded in silence as Damon continued

"...It seemed that Klaus didn't have one anymore, that he didn't feel anything, he..."

He stopped to catch his breath

"...he broke the rule."

Caroline opened her eyes wide looking for Damon's gaze

"Did he hurt someone?"

Damon looked at the ceiling but didn't answer. Caroline bit her lip, almost too scared to ask

"Did he... He killed someone?!"

Damon puffed after a few moments of heavy silence

"It only happened once, at least while I was there, but it was enough to definitely change everything."

Caroline covered her mouth with one hand as she stared into the void with her bewildered eyes. _A murderer? Klaus has become a murderer?_ Damon sighed again and then jumped up.

"You know what? You should get out of here."

He said, trying to play it down, he knew Caroline needed it.

She lifted her shoulders

"I'm a fugitive without a home, where do you want me to go?"

Damon thought about it for a second, tapping a finger on his chin. He reached out for her hand

"You could come with me, for example."

Caroline was still struggling to settle with her new normality, nonetheless she grabbed his hand and let him pull her up

"I've got a little job to do tonight. A simple thing really, but I'd be more than happy if you'd give me a hand."

Caroline raised an eyebrow

"A little job?"

"Yeah. There's this guy in Manhattan, he likes to party in underground gambling dens on the weekends, but apparently some of his guys ripped him off. So he wants me to get the money back."

"Tonight?"

"Yup, It'll be simple. We come in, play a little tough, take the money and disappear. You in?"

Caroline felt a twinge in her stomach. Go back to stealing? It certainly wasn't what Stefan expected from her.

"I don't know Damon. I'm a bit, you know, rusty. I don't know if I should."

He smiled

"You rusty? I don't believe it! Besides, it'll do you good to go back to old habits. You've been locked up for five years, you sure need some adrenaline!"

Caroline sighed. Adrenaline. She could hardly remember what it was like to feel it coursing through her veins. She had spent the last years feeling nothing but anger or confusion. Damon's words had just changed everything for her. If Klaus had killed someone, he really wasn't the person she thought he was. Did the husband she knew and cherished ever existed? The murder made him guilty, with no chance of appeal.

"Come on..."

Damon scrolled the nostalgia off of him

"...don't stay in here brooding over what I told you. Come with me."

He was right. If she'd stayed alone in there, that thought wouldn't have left her for a second.

"All right."

\--------

Just outside the club Caroline pulled up her hood and looked around. How could she forget about the fed constantly observing her?

"Are you okay Care?"

Damon asked when he noticed her face turning excessively pale. She nodded. It was risky and against the rules, but she was not going to get her friend in trouble.

"Yes. I was just wondering... Could I drive?"

Damon smirked

"Of course! My Chevy is all yours!"

Caroline grabbed the keys and slipped onto the leather seat. She loved that smell.

She turned the key into the ignition and took a look in the rear-view mirror.

"We have to go to..."

Damon couldn't finish the sentence as Caroline pushed hard on the gas. His Camaro started to sing and he grabbed onto the seat for balance. She kept accelerating and tried to disappear as quickly as possible zigzagging between the crossbars of Brooklyn.

"Hey! Sports driving, huh?"

Caroline faked a touch of embarrassment

"Excuse me. I haven't driven for a while."

She looked in the mirror again, no car was following them. Caroline finally relaxed her breath and lifted his foot off the pedal.

"Where to?"

\------

Damon handed her a gun outside the apparently abandoned shed. Caroline slowly took it in her hands. The FBI never allowed her to use firearms, but she still remembered how to put a gun to someone's head all too well.

"Don't worry, it'll be easy."

Caroline looked at him and held the gun tight. She wasn't worried. She wasn't afraid. What she felt was an unexpected excitement. Her heartbeat and breathing accelerated.

She felt exactly as she did the first time.

\------

9 YEARS and HALF BEFORE

"Do you really like this place?"

Klaus asked looking around. He detested the malls. Too much noise, too many faces.

Caroline kept parading among the exhibitors in the perfume department.

That strange friendship between her and Klaus Mikaelson seemed to continue. Not that it was a real friendship, but after he took her to the Café des Artistes and introduced her to his friends, Caroline decided to return the courtesy and introduce him to her friends. Books, shoes and makeup.

And so, after two hours spent in the bookstore and forty-six agonizing minutes passed in front of Louboutin's window, a quick trip to the perfumery was a must.

Caroline smiled at herself, running a finger through the lipsticks, one by one. She heard him puff and looked at Klaus out of the corner her eye

"Tell me, are you starting to think that maybe I'm just a superficial goose?"

He approached her, smirking

"I'm starting to think you're trying to drive me crazy. But if that's a challenge, you 're not gonna win."

Hit and sunk. Caroline hid a smile, still trying to play cool

"Don't worry, I think I just found the perfect color."

She said, showing him a deep pink.

"Good. Put it in the bag and let's go."

Caroline furrowed her eyebrows

"Sorry?"

"You got that right."

Caroline felt amused and bewildered at the same time

"You want me to steal it?"

Klaus lowered his tone

"You're making it sound like a bad thing."

Caroline stared at the lipstick in her hands

"Why would I steal something I can pay for?"

"Um... Do you want me to explain it to you?"

Klaus approached her from behind, moving closer and closer until his chest was leaning against Caroline's back. She stiffened, her heart jumped straight to her throat.

He slowly moved, his mouth now dangerously close to Caroline's ear.

"Get that lipstick."

He muttered. His smoky breath caressed her face.

Caroline struggled to respire. He was so close that just a little movement would've been enough for their lips to touch. Just one small movement.

She squeezed the lipstick in her hand.

Klaus gently placed his palms on her hips and Caroline felt her cheeks catching fire. Thank God he couldn't see her face, otherwise he would've realized in a second how she felt about him. Mikaelson already had enough confidence to fill the entire mall, no need to feed his giant ego once again.

That was, without any doubt, the most erotic experience she'd ever had in her 16 years of living. Her body was acting without control, her muscles clenched, her thighs desperately asking for any kind of friction, her mind yelling to grab the guy and kiss the hell out of him.

"Move slowly now..."

Klaus reached Caroline's purse and slowly unzipped it.

"...and put it in your bag."

Caroline tried to move but she soon realized to be completely surrounded by him

"What if someone sees us?"

"We'll take our chances."

He whispered again.

Caroline closed the eyes and let him guide her. That sensation she had never felt before, the blood rushing, the heart racing, fear mixed with excitement, so intense that it was almost unbearable.

Nonchalantely Klaus slipped that lipstick into her purse then stepped back.

Caroline opened her eyes and felt finally able to breathe again. Klaus licked those tempting lips of his and whispered again

"Now we'll leave this place as if nothing happened..."

He moved to her side

"...and I can assure you that the moment we walk through that door, you'll feel more alive than ever before."

Caroline lowered her eyes, she could feel him trying to take her hand. Their fingers interwined for the first time and she became soft clay for him to model

"Let's go."

He ordered.

Caroline began to follow his footsteps, letting him lead. The doors suddenly looked so so distant.

I _t's just a lipstick. Just a lipstick._ She kept repeating in her head, but Caroline knew it was just a pathetic attempt of her mind to cover up other thoughts. The guards didn't scare her at all since she could pay that lipstick three times its price, if necessary. What made her really shiver was the realization she could jump off a bridge with just an umbrella in her hand if he asked her to.

She clenched her free fist passing through the store doors. Her heart stopped beating until she was on the other side.

She was safe.

Caroline grinned, her blue irisis sparkling with thrill and new found boldness. She was so excited she even enjoyed the smug look on his face

"I told you so."

\-------

"Ready?"

Caroline nodded and squeezed the gun. The adrenaline started pumping in her veins.

Damon kicked the door of the gambling den wide open. Everyone turned around and jumped to their feet.

"Good evening, everybody!"

Caroline followed his friend into the room with her gun pointed firmly in front of her.

"What do you want?"

A guy in his 50s asked, he was probably the manager of the place.

Damon pointed to the poker table with a nod. A confused pile of bills was resting on the green velvet.

"You want my money?"

The dude asked with a shaken, yet annoyed, tone in his voice. Damon raised an eyebrow

"That's not _your_ money at all."

The other one tried to move, but Damon blocked him with a fierce glance

"Hey. I suggest you to stay calm, man."

Caroline felt her legs almost move by themselves. She knew exactly what to do, as if she'd never quit that life.

She moved sinuously around the room without ever lowering her weapon. She reached the gaming table and started putting money in the bag. It was a ton of bills.

Damon stayed focused on the men in front of him.

After the last banknote, Caroline turned to Damon and sniffled, segnaling she was done with the money. She took just one step then had to stop in his tracks.

The sound he heard was definitely the safety latch of a gun.

"Hold it right there."

Caroline looked at the ceiling taking a deep breath, she'd let her guard down too soon and now a gun was pointed right to her back.

Damon stiffened as he moved his aim toward the man who had drawn his gun. He cursed between his teeth. _Never underestimate stupid poker players._

"Drop that money now, my beauty."

The armed man intimated and the first guy smiled smugly.

Caroline swallowed. Damon looked at her, worry in his eyes just for a minute. Then she smiled at him.

"Okay, sir."

Caroline answered. She bent over just pretending to put the bag on the ground, but didn't do it at all. With a completely unexpected agility she turned and kicked perfectly in mid-air. The man's weapon flew to the other side of the room and before he could do or say anything, Caroline's gun was four inches from his forehead.

"You were saying?"

The shady guy barely hid his anger. He took a step back and raised his hands in surrender.

Caroline walked backwards to reach Damon, he now looked relaxed and even amused.

"Well, It's been a real pleasure!"

He concluded by taking the door with her friend.

Just outside, they started running as fast as they could. Caroline held the bag tightly and couldn't feel the fatigue at all, she suddenly remembered that feeling in her stomach. The power.

Damon started the car and sped away at full speed.

"Oh, man! Where'd you learn that?"

Caroline returned with her feet on the ground. She surely couldn't tell him she'd taken a training course at the FBI.

"I did a lot of aerobics while I was in jail."

He looked at her ecstatic, still inebriated with adrenaline

"I should do that too then!"

Caroline relaxed against the leather of the seat and glanced at her reflection in the rear-view mirror.

That was life.

That was her.

"Did you count it?"

Damon demanded a little later, pointing towards the money.

Caroline slid a few more bills through her fingers. The intoxicating smell of fresh money had filled the car.

"There must be at least 20,000."

"Good. I negotiated 20%, so two thousand is yours."

Caroline counted her money and Damon's separately. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow

"Do you know what to do with those yet?"

Caroline nodded relaxing her sore muscles, she still couldn't get that grin off her face.

"Shoes!"

She exclaimed. Damon had no doubt that that was gonna be her first answer.

"And maybe a new pair of jeans."

She added, then Damon took the floor

"Speaking of shoes and clothes, we should go get your stuff from the café now."

Caroline looked genuinely confused

"Why? Am I moving?"

"Exactly my friend. Come and stay with me!"

At that moment nothing else existed, no uncomfortable realities, no responsibilities. There was only Damon Matthews and Caroline Forbes. Thieves and Friends.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This is Steroline chapter, I'm warning you. From now on there'll be Klaroline but I needed this filling chapter, yet you can skip it if you want to. Thank you so much! I do hope next chapter will be longer and up sooner.

XoXoXo

Stefan Salvatore was promoted to deputy commander of the organized crime division at the FBI's Chicago field office a few years before. That's quite unusual for a 32-year-old. Not that he wasn't good at his job, but a lot of people wondered if his father had something to do with it, being himself a retired FBI lieutenant.

Fortunately, Stefan didn't care about other people's judjement. Not always, anyway. He had always tried to be coherent and keep his feet on the ground, doing his job impeccably. He gave up everything else to be the agent he'd always dreamed of being. He refused to date, never travelled around the world, never spent a whole weekend binge watching tv shows on his sofa. At that moment in his life, he was starting to wonder if those were the right choices.

Sitting in his armchair, surrounded by white walls, he could not concentrate on the documents that had been before his eyes for almost two hours. He was tense, angry and mostly confused. There was no way he could have got it all wrong. His instincts never lied, and yet... It hadn't been that long since that night.

XoXoXo

ABOUT A MONTH EARLIER

_"And here we are. Welcome."_

_With a wave of his arm he welcomed Caroline into his apartment. It was the first time she visited his home._

_The blonde girl looked around. She was curious, but the house looked exactly as she'd imagined it. Clean. Neat. Impeccable. Caroline took off her jacket and absent-mindedly abandoned it on the sofa._

_"Would you like a drink?" Caroline shook her head "Shouldn't you take me home? The control officers will think I ran away." He shrugged offering a little smile "As long as you're with an agent, everything's legal." - "Really? Even having dinner at the Bouley?" - "Mm mm." Caroline smiled showing her white teeth. When Stefan met her at the station and casually offered a day off from the usual aseptic routine, she really didn't expect him to organize such a full and fun bunch of activities._

_"And shopping at Bloomingdale's?" Agent Salvatore chuckled "I think so." Caroline lit up "The we should definitely do this more often." He let out a genuine laugh. His nerves had been tense all day, but looking at her happy face really helped release some stress._

_Caroline stopped wandering around the room and leaned against the table "Thank you Stefan, really." - "It was just some shopping and a dinner." She let out a sigh and smiled again with a light shrug "Maybe, but you know how hard it is for me to do something 'normal'."_

_"Well, I hope you had a good time with me tonight Miss." He gestured a bow, looking more clumsy than chivalrous, Caroline beamed looking at that man she really grew to care for over the years. She was wearing a Mark Bouwer dress and high heels, it didn't happen so often and it was just thanks to him. With those clothes on she somehow felt better, as if she could still be the rich, innocent girl from Manhattan._

_"Fine. If it was a real date, you'd have earned all the points by now." - "Really?" He looked fascinated by her words. Caroline nodded "Really." She confirmed, but a few seconds later she seemed to have second thoughts "But that doesn't mean I'd be here right now. I would've never come up to your house the night of our first date." Lieutenent Salvatore smirked and began to approach her "You think I wouldn't have convinced you?" Looking into those green eyes which wanted to devour her, Caroline hesitated for a moment. He could be a real temptation when he wanted to._

_She shook her head slowly. "Of course not. You should have suffered a little before you saw me walk through that door." He took some steps to be just some inches far from her "And tell me, how long should I have waited?"_

_Caroline shrugged and tried to ignore his presence "Two weeks at least. Maybe even three."_

_Stefan lowered his eyes, she could almost see the little wheels turning into his head. Her smile slowly faded as she realized what was going to happen._

_"Caroline?"_

_He spoke her name bringing his eyes back to her. The gaze he offered was so full of agitation, dedication and hope that she almost backed off. Stefan took a deep breath_

_"I've been waiting for almost five years."_

_Caroline stood still. Her stomach clenched and her heart began to beat faster behind her ribs. She quickly searched for some right words to say, but found nothing to fight back with._

_Stefan kissed her, firm but gentle at the same time, and she responded almost immediately. It was not the first time they kissed, but for the first time there was no danger that an agent could discover them or a surveillance camera film them. There was no plausible excuse to stop him once more._

_The kiss became deeper. He held her waist and lifted the girl onto the table. Slowly his lips reached Caroline's neck leaving a long trace of kisses and light bites. She sighed. It was beautiful but felt wrong, it was pleasent but terribly scary._

_Stefan's hand reached the zipper of her black dress and slowly slid it down. The silk slowly slipped over Caroline's shoulders and fell on the shiny wood of the table. Her body was now exposed, his hands exploring the smooth creamy skin of her back with delicacy._

_The girl suddenly stiffened. She hadn't been with a man for years and the last one she'd shared a bed with was her husband. Her missing, bastard, but still current husband. There was something terribly wrong with what she was doing._

_Salvatore felt her muscles contract against his palms. He knew exactly what was going to happen, but was not willing to let her go once again._

_His movements slowed down, his nose caressed her cheek as he tried to keep his voice as steady as possible "Don't ask me to stop..." He sighed in her ear "...Please don't."._

_Stefan Salvatore was certainly not a man who needed to beg, but that woman was worth the exception to him. Caroline was now a trembling mess in his arms, she kept looking at the naked wall in front of her, uncertain whether she wanted to win or lose the battle raging inside of her. Klaus surely didn't merit her loyalty since he was the first one to break his vows. There was this pesky buzzing voice in her head which kept repeating she was a married woman, but the blonde devil on her shoulder was equally convincing while saying that her body deserved that pleasure and she had to enjoy it._

_She couldn't ignore what her instincts were desperately asking her to do. Klaus Mikaelson's wife was dead and, in all honesty, this new woman she was turning into wanted nothing more than being touched._

_She raised her head and kissed Stefan passionately. The agent lifted her up again and walked towards his bedroom, her long legs firmly wrapped around him._

_He kept his lusting eyes on her while unbottoning his shirt. Agent Salvatore looked at her as if she was the most desirable thing on the planet, with a honest burning gaze that she really didn't deserve. If only he knew that, even in that moment, he was sharing her attention with another man._

_He kissed her mouth again, then he kissed her neck, then he kissed her belly. His lips lingered on her scars, where the skin was thinner and shinier, his soft touch making her twist under his weight._

_When Stefan finally entered her, there was no haste or rush, as if he wanted to savor every single millimeter of her. His thrusts became faster but his eyes stayed soft, their fingers interwined while both of them stayed silent, enjoying the light noise of their sighs._

_After the last contraction of his body, Stefan layed on her. Caroline hummed and stroked his hair while his heartbeat slowly returned to normal. It had been beautiful, almost perfect, but it still left an undeniable void inside of her, that sense of emptiness that not even a man like Stefan could fill._

_Slowly, she rolled on her side and gave him the shoulders. Why wasn't she able to move on? Despite the fight, Klaus' voice sounded clear in her mind as he repeated the words he once told her. In the great universal order she felt like her place was wrong all over again. She thanked God that Stefan Salvatore was the wonderful man he was. Not a word came out of his mouth, he demanded nothing, he just stayed quiet lying next to her._

_Caroline silently waited for his breath to become light and smooth. She waited until she was sure he was asleep. This beautiful person deserved so much more than her issues and paranoia. That's why she slipped out of bed, collected her panties and shoes and left the room. She put on her dress and grabbed the jacket left on the sofa while looking at the clock. It was only two o'clock in the morning, with a bit of luck she would still find some cabs around._

_Sighing with the guilt she was already feeling, Caroline snuck out of Stefan's apartment as fast as she could._

XoXoXo

McPhee pushed the door and immediately closed it behind his back. There was no need to hide his annoyance in front of the Lieutenent since he was the source of that frustration. Stefan abruptly awoke from his thoughts, exasperation was written all over his collegue's face.

"I know why you're here, but I don't want to hear a word from you." He tried to anticipate the older agent and McPhee licked his lips with a sarcastic smile "I was actually here for another reason, but looking at your misery, I take it you've already been warned."

Salvatore narrowed his eyes "I've just told you, I have nothing to say about it." McPhee spread his arms "Your blonde friend eludes the agents and disappears into thin air, but you have nothing to say?" Stefan merely sighed, he really didn't feel like jumping into that conversation, McPhee on the other hand, won't let it drop "Come on Salvatore, you had to expect as much! Although I must admit it, her rapidity has surprised me too."

"You're making assumptions McPhee. I'm sure Caroline had her reasons..." He tried his best to sound professional "...Plus, at the end of the day, that's exactly what we asked her to."

"That woman deliberately lost our agents and ran with her robbery partner! I bet she's celebrating with her hubby and the rest of the company by now!"

At the sound of those words, Stefan jumped up making the chair soundly screech against the floor.

"You said you came here for a reason. Tell me what you want and then leave, please." McPhee nodded with the respect due to a superior "It's for the Martin case. Dr. Steward's on her way here for the first evaluation. I guess you want to be present too."

Agent Salvatore looked at the clock "You'll have to take care of it. I'm leaving early today." He spoke nonchalantely while moving back to the desk, his hands quickly collected all the papers scattered around. Once again, McPhee got all sarcastic and edgy "Yeah... I forgot you're doing double duty these days. Officer by day and babysitter by night."

The tone of his voice was undoubdtely acid. He was clearly trying to provoke him. Stefan looked in the brown eyes of his older collegue "Do you really want me to tell you to go to hell?"

McPhee took two steps forward and slammed his palms against the hard desk. "No Salvatore, I just want you to listen to me!" He then tried to calm down taking a deep breath "I'm gonna talk to you man to man now, okay?"

Salvatore said nothing, whatever McPhee was going to say, he would ignore it. "Tell me. Do you really want to risk your career for that woman?" Stefan looked the other way in the grip of exasperation as his colleague went on "I can accept that you like her, but right now, I think you're losing control of the situation." - "Oh Really?" Stefan raised his brow, hearing those words from a heartless man who also happened to be a rival, really sounded like a joke.

"You seem to have completely forgotten who Caroline Mikaelson is. No matter what she did with us in the last years, that woman was and remains a criminal!" Salvatore shook his head "I don't even want to listen to you."

McPhee insisted banging his fist on the desk "Don't you understand, Stefan? If something goes wrong, it won't just be your head that jumps!" - "Well, if anything goes wrong, we'll intervene." - "But it's already happened!"

The lieutenant took his files and tried to reach the door without success. "Why are you doing this?" Stefan pressed McPhee against the office door, his nerves were about to lash "Why am I doing this, you ask?" The older nodded "Yes. What is it Salvatore, some kind of strategy? You want to get to the mother using the little girl?"

Stefan took a deep breath and looked straight into McPhee's eyes "I don't expect you to understand this, but that woman entrusted me with her daughter!" The older Agent smirked "That's right, Lieutenant. _His_ daughter."

Stefan licked his lips but said nothing, he really didn't want to seem even weaker in front of McPhee who asked "I really don't get it, what do you think it's gonna happen?" Agent Salvatore let the words slip "When all this is over..." Suddenly realizing what he was about to say, he bit his tongue. He'd never even admitted it to himself.

McPhee didn't take too long to understand. He looked at him in bewilderment "Oh, my God. You do hope one day you'll be a happy little family, don't you?" Salvatore clenched his fists, he couldn't help but look down in silence. What was the point of denying anyway? Since he couldn't escape the room, Stefan massaged his temples trying to contain his vortex of thoughts.

"It's never going to happen Salvatore, do you realize that?"

Agent Salvatore shrugged "Caroline has already done a lot to redeem herself. If she helps us arrest Mikaelson now, I'm sure that the judge..." McPhee was quick to interrupt him "She will never be free, no matter what she does." Stefan sighed "I don't expect her to be acquitted, okay? But with a good sentence reduction, parole and maybe house arrest, I think it'll all be over in a few years. Finally."

McPhee shook his head looking down. For a moment he even looked sympathetic, but the feeling was quick to die as he retorted "Are you really at this point?" - "Are we still talking man to man?" McPhee nodded trying his best empathetic face. Stefan swallowed his pride to give a honest answer "Yes..." He brathed in "...I love her."

McPhee looked at him astounden, he rubbed his forehead finding himself in a very hard place "You're putting me in a difficult position, you know that, don't you?" Salvatore regained his integrity streching out his shoulders "What I've just told you doesn't affect my objectivity, nor does it affect my loyalty to the FBI. If I have to intervene in this mission, I will."

McPhee kinked an eyebrow "Are you sure?"

Salvatore looked back at him with a firm gaze, his loyalty was not in doubt "I am more than sure." His collegue looked uncertain for a long minute, he was supposed to immediately report to the captain. That was probably the perfect chance to turn the situation around and steal Stefan's role, yet he decided to wait and see "Okay. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt..." The younger agent nodded in gratitude "...But don't relax kid, I'll be breathing down your neck. This mission will not fail because of that woman. If I have to bring you down, I'll do it without remorse..." McPhee smoothed his jacket then reached the door "...And remember Salvatore, that little girl already has a father. As much as it sucks." He finished before vanishing from Stefan's sight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long, It's terribly hot in Italy right now and with the heat wave my kids went totally crazy. Hope you enjoy Klaroline reunion!

Caroline crossed her legs on the coffee table, looking at her new pair of blue Steve Madden once again. It was good to have a new wardrobe full of clothes and all it took to get it was just standing beside Damon in some of his "little jobs", nothing too demanding.

She felt like shit. Not only had she broken the law again, she also made her best to disappear off the FBI's radar so Damon wouldn't get in trouble. She could totally picture McPhee's actual expression. A spontaneous smile spread on her face as she imagined his appalled frown _“Dollface has managed to fool everyone, I had told you so!”._

Damon came from the kitchen with a chicken sandwich stuck in his mouth. He looked at her daydreaming and swallowed the giant bite. "That's not bad, is it?"

Caroline winced coming back to reality "What?" Damon gestured between them and all around “This. It's rather pleasant to live like this, isn't it?" She smiled again "Yeah, that's not bad at all." Damon threw himself on the couch next to her, took another bite and then looked at her seriously “And...” He took his time pondering over the subject he was about to address “...What about jail?"

Caroline returned his gaze and raised an eyebrow “Jail?" He bit his lower lip nodding "Yes... I know you probably don't wanna talk about it, but I'll admit I have questions. How do you.. I mean, what was it like?" The blonde girl sighed as she settled on the big pillow to find a more comfortable position. She couldn't skip the issue, but perhaps she could stay in the vague without having to lie. She wet her lips inhaling some air "That wasn't too bad at first...” She started “...When I woke up from the coma I could hardly remember anything, but the officers were patient with me, they gave me all the time and medicines I needed."

Damon wrinkled his forehead "You were in a coma?" Caroline nodded, she obviously couldn't remember the time she spent sleeping, but it sure left a lingering sensation of lightness and torpidity inside of her "I had lost a lot of blood. I was unconscious for almost a year."

Damon's eyes suddenly darkened, Caroline breathed and resumed her story before he could dive into his sense of guilt "Fortunately I made a full recovery. That's when the interrogations started...” That was the hardest part to remember “...They wanted to know where you were hiding no matter what, but I didn't really know." The girl ran a hand through her hair, she could still feel those icy hands on her skin. The acid sound of their despising voices still fresh in her ears.

"...They stopped tormenting me only when they were sure you'd left the country."

Damon kept looking at her with the same culpable eyes, Caroline avoided his gaze and concentrated on the memories "They wanted me to cooperate, to reveal all the informations I had, but obviously I tried everything I could not to get you into trouble..." Damon relaxed a bit and gave her a tiny smile "...and then my life became this kind of routine between the public defender and my supervised parole officers."

"Supervised parole officers?" He looked confused and she responded with a tilt of her head "Yes. As an at-risk inmate, I had two officers on my back at all times." Damon frowned "Usual cocky federal assholes, I guess." Caroline shrugged "Well, one of them was definitely an asshole...." She smiled thinking about McPhee and how mad he must be at her, then she got serious again “...The other one... He was... Kind." Stefan's disappointed face appeared before her eyes, accompanied by a twinge of stomachache and quite a bit of guilt. She quickly shook her head, trying to get him out of her mind "At least I had a lot of time to read." Caroline tried to chuckle to lighten the atmosphere, but it didn't work.

Damon rubbed the back of his head and suddenly became even more frowned "Speaking of..." He stood up and reached one of the drawers in the living room cabinet. He pulled out a large stack of papers and handed it to a quite curious Caroline.

"Round Trip" by Damon Matthews

Caroline's gaze lit up. She turned her eyes to Damon "You wrote it! Your novel, you wrote it!" She held those papers in her hands and felt relieved as she'd never expected. Not everything was lost as she had imagined, Damon hadn't given up on his dream. The black-haired guy nodded back and sat next to her, his eyes veiled with insecurity. "It's great that you did it! I'm more than sure you wrote a masterpiece!"

Caroline affirmed with confidence. She flipped through the pages without really reading, she was so excited that her eyes refused to focus on the single words. That book meant so much to her in that moment.

She looked at the first page once again and suddenly scowled "But since you wrote it..." She began in a low voice, feeling almost embarrassed "...Why didn't you quit this life? I thought that was the plan." Damon sunk his teeth into his upper lip. "The truth?" She spread her arms, he could spit any kind of truth, she was there to listen "I'm scared Care. So scared I shit my pants."

Caroline's gaze softened as she moved her hand to rub his shoulder "I didn't let anyone read it so far...But I'd like you to do it." Her friend smiled, feeling proud of him and herself at the same time "I'm sure you've written a beautiful story." He mirrored her smile "Will you read it then?" - "You betcha!"

She caressed the cover, but could no longer ignore the elephants dancing in her stomach. That stupid guilt just wouldn't shut up. There was just one way to kill it and she had to take the risk. Caroline leapt to her feet, her dark blonde curls slowly bouncing on her shoulders "It'll be the first thing I do when I get back."

Damon looked completely disoriented by her sudden actions "Where are you going?" Caroline fumbled for a few moments “I.. I.. I need to buy more cigarettes! There's a shop just across the street, it will take just a minute.” Damon furrowed his eyebrows but didn't investigate further "Okay." He hesitantely answered while she moved around the room like a crazy spring, collecting her leather jacket and purse in the process.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" _Please say no. Please say no._ Fortunately Damon shook his head and she took the chance to fly out "Good! I'll be right back!" She concluded, already outside the door.

XoXoXo

She had no choice. She had to talk to Stefan. Her moral dictated it, her stomach demanded it, her heart needed it.

So she squeezed her torso in her own arms and strode to the other side of the street to reach an old, filthy phone boot. Stefan wouldn't have been too angry, she tried to reassure herself, once he heard her reasons, he couldn't be too angry.

Before grabbing the handset, she checked one more time to be sure she was out of sight from Damon's windows. Caroline tried to relax while looking for some change in her pockets. She slipped a couple of fifty cents into the metal slot and hesitated in front of the keypad.

The number was perfectly engraved in her mind, but she couldn't find the courage to dial it. She had to talk to him, it was for the best. Stefan had to know she was still stuck with the plan. Caroline slowly started typing, she wanted to hear his voice but, at the same time, she was praying that Stefan would not answer the call.

First ring. Her stomach twisted. Second ring. She began to tremble. Could it be that her prayers were to be answered? Third ring. It was Fate talking, wasn't it? Caroline decided to hang up. Just as she pulled the receiver off her ear, she felt a sudden shadow descend on her.

Caroline immediately tried to turn around, but couldn't. One big gloved hand covered her mouth with an icy, firm grip. She tried to struggle and wriggle, but she couldn't even move. Her heart exploded in her chest, every cell of her body was now innervated, her brain was screaming to run, yet she couldn't move, the man too strong for her muscles.

Caroline decided to relax just a bit to give her attacker the idea that she had surrendered. Who the hell could that be? A mugger? A rapist maybe? Either way, if she'd had enough room, she could have been free in seconds. Unfortunately for her, that guy seemed to know exactly what she was thinking and wouldn't let go even a single millimeter of his grip. Lifting her off the ground, he started to drag her away. He dragged her out of the cabin onto the road.

A black car, a SUV with tinted windows, pulled up immediately in front of them. A door silently opened and Caroline was ungracefully thrown inside. The small door closed immediately and the car sped away.

No one noticed the phone was still disconnected, no one heard the voice calling on the other end "Hello?...Hello?...Caroline, is that you?"

XoXoXo

With her face pressed against the leather seat, Caroline was now trying to breathe. She was almost too scared to turn around. The smell that was hurting her nostrils was, in fact, quite familiar.

"Long time no see!" The other passenger in the car spoke with his signature smug tone. Caroline recognized that voice in a second and immediately relaxed. Just enough time to get her heart back to a normal rhythm and she could pull herself up, trying to fix her hair. She looked straight ahead.

"Marcel."

There was no doubt about it. It was him. Same smooth dark skin, same pitch black icy eyes, same white glowing smile. He passed his tongue on his upper teeth then took a closer look at her "You look good to be, you know...dead."

Caroline cocked her head to the side "You may be a genius, but perspicacity is clearly not your strong point." That's right. Marcel Gerard was a genius, at least when it came to computer science. Born in Paris 28 years earlier, he had shown an innate talent for computers since childhood. Those tools had no secrets from him, as long as he had a broadband connection, he could get anywhere. When he was fifteen, the famous MIT contacted his parents, offering the teen guy the possibility of obtaining a place in the CSAIL, laboratory of computer science and artificial intelligence.

And that's how he made it to the United States. But like any other self-respecting nerd, Marcel hid a totally messed up personality behind his talent. That's why, after a whole summer spent on the computers of the prestigious university, he suddenly realized that the MIT was not trying to enhance his talent, but to keep it under control. If he served the American government, he certainly wouldn't have gone against them.

He quit the course a week before its ending, just after stealing all the access codes to MIT's database and cracking their connection to the Ministry servers. Holding a residence permit released by the Department of Education itself, he then decided to stay.

Klaus and him had met in a Brooklyn club a few months later and it was "love at first sight".

Caroline rubbed her mouth "Was it necessary being picked on by that gorilla like we're in a B-movie? The big guy scared the hell out of me." Marcel shrugged "I wanted to make sure you didn't run away." - "And Why on earth would I do that?" He repeated the gesture "Maybe because you're not happy to see me."

Caroline tilted her face "Sure as hell."

She retorted and a smile slowly opened up on Marcel's face. It wasn't sarcastic this time, it was sincere. Caroline mirrored his expression with the same genuineness. Despite apparances, they didn't hate each other at all. This tipycal exchange of jokes was a kind of repertoire for them. It was actually the only way someone could communicate with Marcel.

Marcel took a champagne bottle and handed it to her "Here. Drink it up." Caroline raised an eyebrow and, once again, he showed his pearl white teeth "Don't worry honey, it's not poisoned. I just thought we need to celebrate." He said with a grin and Caroline finally accepted his offer. Taking a couple sips of cold, sparkling nectar, she relaxed against the seat and looked at her old friend more carefully.

He had hardly changed at all. Despite his intellectualoid nature, he looked like a movie star. Tall and fit, the eccentricity that radiated from his clothes and accent attracted girls like bees to honey. Yet he seemed immune to feminine charm. Sure, she had often seen him give in to the instinct of sexuality, but no girl lasted more than a night. _I wonder if anything has changed over the years._

Caroline looked out the car window and realized they were leaving town. She cast her eyes back to Marcel and saw that he was typing fast on his cell phone. He was writing a message to someone, probably about their imminent arrival.

"You're taking me to him, aren't you?"

Marcel lifted his eyes from the phone

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

Caroline sunk her nails into the leather seat. Every muscle in her body stretched like a violin string. "What if I told you I don't want to see him?"

Marcel put his cell back in his pocket and looked at her with a shrug "That would be understandable, I think."

She stretched on the seat then, squared her shoulders and looked straight into his black irises "I'm telling you Marcel. I don't want to see him." He sighed "Sorry cherie, but I can't indulge your request." Caroline suddenly felt the agitation rise up inside, her throath about to close up. She swallowed and tried a counterattack

"So that's how it is now..." She began in a cynical tone "...He commands and you execute." Marcel didn't make a fuss so Caroline decided to insist "Damon was right to say that things had changed. I never thought you'd end up just Klaus' henchman."

Marcel licked his upper lip and with a sudden burst of energy, he jumped in front of Caroline, an icy glance on his tense face " _I_ will tell you how it is..." Caroline imperceptibly trembled, he was a friend but still looked like a stranger "...My best friend asked me to bring him something he cares about and I'm gonna bring it to him. There's nothing you can say or do."

He concluded by returning to the starting position. Caroline sighed nervously as he looked down on his phone again "I just hope it's worth the trouble.” He grumbled, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Caroline looked at him, the french guy's attitude was starting to piss her off "What does it mean?" - "That I hope you're on the right side." He answered with nonchalance, the shadow of an empty threat non so hidden between the lines.

Caroline took a deep breath, It was not going to be easy this time. Klaus' door was not going to open as easily as Damon's, she really risked to smash her head against it. "I need to smoke!" She exclaimed pulling a cigarette out of her purse. She lit it and filled her lungs, deciding to stay still and silent for the rest of the ride.

XoXoXo

When the car stopped, someone knocked on the black window. Marcel stretched out to open the door and the car filled with thick salty air. Even though it was dark, Caroline immediately realized they were by the ocean. They were in the Hamptons. Turning to the other side she noticed the huge villa waiting for them, but despite the grandeur only a few lights were on and everything else remained shrouded in darkness.

"So this is where you live now." She said as Marcel walked beside her "At least for now, until Mr. Owen returns." He shrugged with a light smile "And who's Mr. Owen?" He smirked "The owner. Let's go."

Marcel began to walk down the driveway, while Caroline stayed petrified behind him. Her feet seemed to be glued on the concrete. The french guy stopped and turned his head towards her "Elena is waiting for you.".

Elena.

At the sound of that name, she finally found some courage and started walking towards the villa, a thousand thoughts flying through her mind like pointed arrows. She had been so naive hoping Klaus would never find her.

The house was dark and gloomy, but at least it smelled good. Two strangers scrutinized her from head to toe. Marcel stopped in the middle of the room and looked at her spreading his arms "You will forgive me cherie..." He started by approaching her "...but I need to frisk you."

Caroline nodded slightly annoyed. She was not hiding any weapons or microphones, but let him touch her nonetheless. "She's clean." He finally sentenced and the two strangers walked away with a silent nod of their heads. Marcel also searched her bag and took out her cell phone "I'm borrowing this." He said with a wink then put the item inside his pocket.

Caroline was tense, angry, terrified and excited, all at the same time. Following Marcel down the corridor, she thought her brain would explode. She kept imagining that moment in a thousand different ways, millions of different scenes alternated before her eyes like psychedelic flashes. What was she to expect?

She gasped for air as they reached a big black door. Klaus was behind it, she could feel it. Marcel hadn't said a word yet, but her heart was already jumping in her throat with every beat.

XoXoXo

_9 YEARS BEFORE_

_She'd been seeing Klaus Mikaelson and his friends for months. Consequently, she'd been into petty theft and shoplifting for quite a while now, but she didn't feel guilty, she actually liked it. She felt alive and strong, like she was a modern Doris Payne._

_After every "mission," there was a celebration at the Café des Artistes. She'd discovered a sweet, sunny girl in Elena. She could be a bit too self-centered at times, but Caroline still felt like having a girl friend for the first time. Elena and Damon had a thing, but Caroline could still share her thoughts and passions with him and it felt so refreshing._

_And then there was Klaus, her favourite mystery. Caroline still didn't know exactly how she'd ended up there or why Klaus had got her involved in his business. Some days he seemed to flirt shamelessly, and then some other days passed without him even looking at her._

_As for her, well, she had to admit she'd thought about it, over and over again, but Klaus Mikaelson wasn't the guy for her. No, he wasn't. He had called her that night and said he was gonna pick her up at 8 'cause he had something special to show her._ That _thought had crossed her mind, she couldn't deny it, but every illusion was shattered the moment she got in the van and found everyone else in it. Caroline only said a couple words the whole trip, chewing on her own nails. She wasn't the only one to be strangely silent, anyway. Judging from the atmosphere in the vehicle, it might seem they were going to a funeral._

_Damon stopped the car at a gas station on Route 76, just outside New York. Quite a rather isolated place to spend an evening with friends._

_Elena and Rebekah got off immediately to reach the little shop. Caroline thought they just needed to buy something, so she stayed quite looking out of the window car. The night was warm, but darker than usual. The moon was in fact covered by a thick layer of grey clouds announcing rain._

_Just then she noticed Klaus looking like a marble statue next to her. His forehead was covered with sweat, his jaw clenched. Caroline narrowed her eyes, something was officially off. As she placed her eyes on Marcel, his gaze snapped the other way. The dark skinned boy was nervously tapping his foot. As for Damon, he kept his firm grip on the wheel. The car's engine was still running._

_The unwholesome idea crossed her mind for the first time when Blake came out of the gas station gesturing with her hands, a sign that Caroline later knew, meant “All Clear”. Everything in the car came alive as Marcel slowly pulled something metal out of his jacket. Caroline opened her eyes wide. It was a gun._

_"What the hell is going on?" She finally felt like talking, her stomach twisting and turning. Klaus raised his hand with the hint of a smirk to stop her from freaking out "I told you this was gonna be a special night." That said, he and his friend got out of the car in a hurry._

_Caroline was more than baffled. She leaned over to Damon. "What are they going to do? Why does Marcel have a gun?" She stammered and her friend sighed "You know what we usually do?...” Caroline did not answer, but she felt much more worried, excitement was glowing on his face "...We raise the stakes tonight."_

_Damon focused back on the steering wheel and Caroline stared at him for a while. The car seat felt suddenly hot so she moved on her knees to look out of the back window. Klaus and the others came running straight towards the car. Damon pushed on the accelerator._

_Everyone rushed in and before the doors were even closed, they were already speeding away with their lights off. Elena smiled with closed eyes "I think I'm gonna have a heart attack!" - "This will calm you down!" Marcel replied, throwing a handful of bills at her, his hearty laugh reverberated in the car._

_Okay. They'd robbed the gas station. It was more than clear now._

_Caroline jumped on the seat, nervous fingers running through her long curled hair "You just robbed that place, didn't you?" No one answered, no answer was needed. "Oh my God...It's armed robbery, do you realize that?" She cupped her own face in disbelief, Rebekah's judging gaze was trying to burn her from the passenger seat. Everyone was looking at Klaus as if she was just a responsabilty of his._

_He swallowed his adrenaline and tried to talk to her "Calm down, okay? We're all here, we're fine. Nothing bad happened." - "Nothing bad happened"?! You have a gun! Did you want to shoot someone?" He huffed searching for her eyes "We didn't shoot anyone. We never had any intention to."_

_Marcel scoffed, that scene looked so pathetic in his eyes. Why in hell did Klaus bring her? The thought was all written on his annoyed face._

_"Okay. This is too much for me!" Caroline turned her attention directly to Damon "Pull over and let me out!" He kept driving after a quick glance into the rear-view mirror._

_"Let me get off!"_

_No one seemed to listen to her. Caroline felt her breath go shorter as her hands started to prickle. She was about to have a panic attack._ _The blonde trembling girl grabbed onto the door handle and started to pull "I want out of this damn car!"_

_Damon looked at Klaus through the mirror. He was not going to be a complete bastard. He slammed on the brakes in the middle of the desert road, but despite the darkness and the isolation, it only took a second for Caroline to jump out of the van. She immediately started to run towards some distant lights._

_"I had told you not to bring her." Rebekah scolded his brother. "Yeah, me too" Marcel insisted, causing Klaus to shook his head and get out of the car as well "See you at the usual place." He asserted before chasing Caroline._

_Caroline looked over her shoulder as he heard the car leave and saw Klaus. She started walking even faster "Leave me alone!" She screamed at him "Wait a minute!" He too accelerated his pace. "Go away Klaus!" She insisted, but It didn't take too long for him to reach her. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to turn around._

_"Wait!” His tone was firm but pleading, she scoffed looking everywhere except at him. "I'm sorry, okay? I thought you were ready." - "Ready for what? To kill someone?" He looked up to the sky to calm his own nerves then took a deep breath "We haven't killed anyone and we don't intend to." Klaus was trying his best to sound convincing, but he knew the girl could be awfully stubborn. In her eyes he was just someone to be afraid of now._

_"For all I care, you can kill as many people as you want. I'm out!" She spit her firm judgement clenching her fists. Her right feet started patting on the asphalt, segnaling him her patience was running out. Klaus rubbed the back of his neck, he was clearly struggling "Just wait, ok? Let me explain..."_

_Caroline interrupted him on the fly "No, let ME explain..." She retorted, shaking with nervousness "...I will try to be very clear..." He bit his lips off looking away from her "...I screwed up. I fucked up big time getting involved with you! But it's over now, okay? Now I'm gonna go home and I'm gonna forget about you and all of this!" She spat out, ready to turn and run away, cursing her high heels in the process._

_Klaus looked up at the stars again, unsure of what to do. "Caroline, wait!" She didn't turn around, but raised a hand in mid air "No Klaus! This time there's nothing you can say or do to change my mind!"_

_Reaching her with only a couple of large steps, Klaus grabbed her arm again and before Caroline could even breathe, he kissed her mouth shut._

_It took a long minute for Caroline to realize what was happening. Their first kiss. Surreal. It might easily be another dream of hers, but when she opened the eyes, he was still there, flesh and bones, more handsome than ever._

_Caroline couldn't breathe, her chest ached as if she was about to die but she wanted more nonetheless. This time she stood up on her toes and fiercely kissed him._

_Their first real kiss._

_Running her fingers through his dark blond hair, braiding her tongue with his, letting his hot breath into her lungs, Caroline felt sorry for everyone else in the world... For those who kissed someone and heard bells ringing...For those who heard violins... For those girls whose leg slowly raised in realization._

_What was she hearing?_

_Well... That was a fucking nuclear explosion. An outburst that had just destroyed everything else around._

XoXoXo

Marcel stopped in front of the big wood framed entrance. He knocked three times, as if he were using a predetermined code, then gently opened it.

Caroline surpassed that threshold as if it was the door to hell, her eyes never leaving the floor as every nerve of her body started trembling in anticipation.

"We're here." The French guy said in a low tone and Caroline's irisis snapped up out of her control. They were in a study, with grey walls, bookcases and painting hanging here and there. That Mr. Owen had to be quite rich and eccentric, judging by the baroque decor all around the room.

In front of her the seatback of a large brown leather armchair and it wasn't hard to guess that Klaus was sitting there. He didn't say anything as he gestured with a hand for his friend to leave. Damn him and his passion for melodrama.

Marcel looked at her again "I'll leave you two alone." He concluded with a light pat on the shoulder. The door closed behind him with a banging noise. Caroline winced, but her muscles immediately tensed to keep her up and standing.

It was just the two of them now. Caroline could hear nothing but her heart drumming like a machine gun in her ears. Tum Tum. Tum Tum. Tum Tum. She saw the chair finally move. Tum tum. Tum tum. Tum tum. Tum tum. Tum tum.

Caroline held a breath down her throat and clenched the fists till her nails hurt her palms. Her chin was up high as she faced the moment she'd been preparing for for the last five years.

And there he was, the infamous Klaus Mikaelson. Her husband.

Her body felt like splitting in two and a prickly twinge instantly hit her in the lower abdomen. He was beautiful, possibly more beautiful than she remembered, the man she had loved and longed for like nothing else in the world. Caroline's lids lowered, her gaze inevitably lingered on his full lips that barely hid a smug smirk. The stubble was still on his cheeks, but his hair was longer, a couple curls already trying to escape the fresh haircut.

At the same time a burning rage filled her chest and brain. He had abandoned her. She took four bullets to save his life and still, he left her behind like nothing. She couldn't help but hate him.

Klaus's blue eyes pierced her like daggers, as if he had any right to be angry. Caroline tried to read something into them, an action that felt so natural back then, yet It was like staring at her own reflection on ice.

He wetted his lips with the point of his tongue "You changed your hair." He said. Five years, a fake funeral and an empty grave to cry on, but that's all he had to say. Caroline felt her insides melt in disdain. She really thought the words wouldn't come out of her mouth, but tried anyway.

"You've changed a lot too from what I've heard." She retorted with a hard stare. Klaus got up from the chair in a fluid movement and began to approach her. His wife wanted to flee, but her heavy feet did not move an inch.

Klaus came close, enough for her to breathe his scent. It may be the memory messing with her, but he still smelled the same. His clothes on the other hand, Caroline had never seen him in a jacket like that before, the allure of a real businessman all around him.

He reached out his hand in an attempt to touch her, but Caroline immediately pulled back. It would have been too much to bear. He retracted his hand, but didn't look too upset "Five years, huh? Took you long enough." She raised a brow, his insinuation not so subtle "It's not that easy to escape from a federal prison." He barely smiled and something exploded inside of her. "Let's just say it's almost impossible."

He said. Was it suspect or admiration in his eyes? Caroline looked straight in his face for a long minute, then had to lower her gaze. Klaus moved again, circling around her body like a hungry feline, close enough to give her goosebumps. Again, he scanned the woman's face, searching God knows for what.

Again he tried to touch her, his hand so quick this time, that she couldn't escape it. Klaus gently grazed her chin, forcing Caroline to rise her face and meet him. She closed her lids, enjoying the warmth of his touch for just a second.

"You know, if I didn't know you better, I'd have to suspect you." He almost whispered, the sarcasm in his voice all but hidden. Caroline swallowed trying to send some air into her lungs. She sighed "If I didn't know you better, I might think you were glad to see me." She answered with a shrug. He gave her one of those dimpled smiles she used to love so much. Klaus looked at her so intensely that she might even go up in flames. She had to get out of there.

Striving to look away, she took two steps back "Where's Elena?" He stayed still, but didn't look bothered by her sudden change of subject. "In her room, I presume." - "I want to see her." She replied immediately, her uneasiness thinly concealed behind her clenched jaw. He shrugged and pointed to the door "You are not my prisoner." Caroline nodded, her fingers nervously searching for the door handle. "Good." She pushed it down ready to run out and breath some fresh oxygen.

"Hey?" Klaus called her back when she was already crossing the doorstep. She reluctantly turned and he offered her another of his charming smiles, his face finally relaxed "You're even more beautiful than I remembered invisible girl."

The coup de grâce.

Caroline ran away without being able to speak, think or even breathe.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you! Let me know what you think please :)

Caroline had made her way up to Elena's room accompanied by a strange silent guy. She wasn't exactly feeling welcome. On the other hand, the discomfort she felt at every step was certainly not due to the presence of a “guard” on her tail.

Elena was sitting at her vanity table in front of the mirror, her long black straight hair looked the same, but her eyes were puffy and red, as if she had been crying until a few minutes earlier.

"Hey."

Caroline stepped into the room and her friend immediately jumped up. Tears began to rain again from her deep brown eyes. Elena ran towards the other girl and hugged her hard. Caroline responded to the embrace with all her strength.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Elena kept repeating between the sobs like a broken record and Caroline stayed there, listening while stroking her head. There was no doubt about the honesty in her reaction, it was maybe a little more dramatic than Caroline had expected, but Damon's words had gotten her prepared for this. Elena was the one who unexpectedly suffered most after her presumed death.

If only Caroline could have spared her five years of unnecessary guilt. It was now two late to even try. After a while, when Elena had finished crying her last tears, Caroline handed her a white handkerchief. She definitely needed some more answers and the brunette was most likely the only trustworthy person in the whole house.

"What happened?" Caroline began, leaving Elena rather lost "I mean..." She added "...I've already heard Damon's version, but I need to hear it from you too." Elena wrinkled her forehead and nodded slowly “Ask away.”

"Do we kill people now?"

The emotional detachment with which Caroline asked such a thing, left Elena dumbfounded. The girl breathed deeply a couple times and settled better on the bed so she could look Caroline in the eye. As she searched for words, her eyes slipped into the past, becoming darker than usual.

"It happened outside Montreuil, near Paris, about a year after we left." She sighed "We had to attack an armored car. We'd done it before, we knew what to expect... But that night showing the guns wasn't enough, one of the gendarmes tried to fight back, to shoot back..."

Caroline clanched her jaw while trying to picture that scene in her head.

"...Maybe we could have handled the situation differently, but Klaus pulled a gun and fired... Unfortunately the man died."

Caroline closed her eyes for a moment. It was painful, but necessary. She had to know how things had gone to figure out a way to live with those people.

"Was it the only time?"

Elena looked down while nodding. It was still one too many, but she had found a way to put it behind her and be friends with Klaus like it never happend. She called it self-defence. Caroline felt a single chill run down her back. She would have expected an attack of nausea or perhaps disgust, but nothing more happened. In fact, a kind of sneer opened up on her face.

"It's strange you know, if I ever had to bet on which one of us would become a murderer, I'd have bet it all on Marcel. No doubt about it."

Elena offered a humble smile in return "Yeah. Me too." Caroline looked at the floor, struck by reality once again. These were no longer her fantasies, this was a very real dead person. Was Stefan right to want them all behind bars? Was it just her teenager heart which persisted in loving the “innocent” memories of them?

"What about you?” Caroline asked. She could hardly imagine Elena hurting someone, but still she had to make the question. Elena shook her head right away "No. I would never do that, you know." Caroline nodded “I just needed to hear it from you.” The dark-haired girl could actually be cunning and a great actress when it was needed, but she still remained a “delicate flower” compared to Rebekah, and since Klaus' sister was (thank God) apparently not around, was was she staying with the men?

The blonde looked straight into Elena's eyes "Then why are you still here?"

She asked point-blank. She knew Elena and her moral boundaries, so she couldn't help but wonder why. Her friend shrugged with a sort of resignation on her face "In spite of everything, they're still my family. I have no one else in the world."

"What about Damon?"

Elena bit her lip. It was clearly a sore subject. She and Damon were together for as long as Caroline could remember and they were actually a cute couple, oddly matched but functioning. He could keep her on the ground and she could make him laugh when he got too caught up in his personal sorrow.

Damon loved her.

"I don't know..." She let out a sigh "...When real life got in the way, we suddenly saw things totally opposite. Maybe he just outgrew me..."

Caroline bit her lower lip as well. Somehow it was her fault.

"...He just couldn't understand."

A pause of silence followed. Elena seemed to tremble "How is he now?"

She finally managed to ask, her eyes aimlessly looking around the room trying to avoid Caroline's judgement.

"Fine. Great I'd say. He only does petty thefts for hire and he's even finished writing his book." Elena's irises shone "Really? I'm sure he has written a wonderful novel." - "Yeah, me too." Caroline replied in a flash, suddenly realizing how he'd left him. She really hoped he would figure out what had happend to her.

"Haven't you read it?" Caroline stood up and looked around the room. She shrugged and spread her arms "I was about to do it. But then I won a free ticket to... here." Caroline kept wandering, Elena's belongings were scattered

all around, on the nightstand and the desk lied photos and newspaper clippings. Her eyes fell right in the middle.

"Don't pay attention to it. I had a nostalgia attack last night."

Elena said, but a particular photo among the others had already attracted Caroline's attention. The four of them. It must have been at least seven years earlier. Maybe eight. They sit yogether on a couch, smiling like they were five and it was Christmas night. Caroline couldn't help but crack a smile, she could still remember how good and safe she felt those days.

Elena got up sighing and approached her with a serious expression painted on her face. She looked at the picture in Caroline's hand "I don't think I should tell you this since you just saw your husband after almost five years..."

The brunette spoke, her tone serious and worried. Caroline furrowed her eyebrows and shifted her gaze from the picture to her "...But Klaus is no longer the man you used to know." Caroline felt uncertain, Elena looked her straight in the eye and joined her hands in some kind of prayer "The day he lost you, he lost his soul too.” She made another pause “...Just be careful around him, okay?" Caroline placed the photo on the nightstand, wishing she could give her friend the same honesty. With a nod of her head, she looked at Elena with determination

"Why did you come back to New York?"

XoXoXo

Marcel slammed the file on Klaus' desk with a grunt of exasperation.

"I've been running the FBI databases for two months and that's all I got out."

He picked up a sheet of paper among many and began to speak as if he were repeating a chant for the hundredth time.

"Caroline Elizabeth Forbes Mikaelson, arrested September 18, 2005. She was hospitalized for nearly a year and then held in cell 24b of the Chicago federal prison under the supervision of agents Stefan Salvatore and Todd McPhee. Escaped during a conversion of FBI premises, suspected involvement of an inside mole..."

Klaus interrupted him with a nervous wave of his hand

"Okay, that's enough. I've heard this story dozens of times before."

Marcel shrugged "There's nothing else, apart from the hearing files and the transcripts of the interrogatories..."

Klaus sighed as he laid his face on the cold wood of his desk.

"...If you want my opinion, man, I think if she wanted to rip us off, she would have done it by now. She had enough information to put us all away for a long time."

Klaus stretched his back while shaking his head

"I know that woman better than anyone. She's hiding something."

Marcel looked more closely at his friend and offered his opinion.

"She's spent the last five years with the feds, and we know what kind of people they are. We have no idea what she's been through or what they've done to her. Maybe that's what she's hiding from us."

Klaus' jaw tensed. Despite the total luck of trust, the idea of Caroline being tortured still made his blood boil. Marcel narrowed his eyes

"You've never even considered that she could be clean, have you?"

Klaus kept staring at a blind spot in front of him. He was not so naive to expect her jumping between his arms at first glance, but he could swear there was something missing. Her light had... faded.

"Just keep searching, please."

He demanded to his best friend, without even looking at him.

"Okay."

Marcel's short answer sounded exasperated. Since the news of Caroline's return had reached Klaus' ear, he had done nothing but search. He didn't even know where to look anymore. There was something about his friend that he just couldn't understand. All that obstinacy in refusing Caroline was alive and back with them. How hard could that be for him to accept?

Almost on the threshold Marcel turned back

"If you really need it, why don't you just put her to test?"

Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"Test her?"

"I don't know. Ask her to steal something. Give her some confidential informations. If she's really converted like you think, she won't do anything illegal, right?"

Klaus seemed to really consider it. His eyes fell on the invitation that the unsuspecting Mr. Owen had received the previous morning and which had not, until then, mattered to anyone. He put his thumb on the coated paper.

"I've got an idea."

XoXoXo

It was the first morning Caroline woke up in that house. She had slept among silk sheets and vanilla perfume, but she had not rested for a second. She rubbed her own temples hoping her migraine would remain just a background noise. She didn't even notice someone entering the room.

"Good morning, love."

To the sound of that voice Caroline flinched. Klaus was leaning against the doorjamb, feet crossed and a red rose in his hands. Caroline's migraine instantly started screaming. He took a few steps in her direction

"I hope the room is to your liking."

He started, handing her the rose. Caroline hesintantly took it from his hand, careful not to touch him and refrained from smelling it.

"Given the situation..."

He added while observing her sleepy figure with lascivious eyes

"...I thought it might be a bit too bold to invite you into my bed."

His low voice and those lustful eyes forced Caroline to look down. She tensed, unbelievable as it was, a simple innuendo almost made her blush like a 15-year-old girl.

"This room is fine."

She responded in the most neutral tone possible while sitting on the pouf in front of her vanity table. Grabbing a hairbrush she started combing her long hair as if he wasn't even there.

Klaus pulled an envelope out of his jacket.

"I wanted to give you a “welcome back” present, but I wasn't sure what to get you."

"Don't bother."

She quickly retorted, but he approached her anyway, dropping the envelope before her eyes.

"Actually, I was thinking you could pick out your own gift."

Caroline raised an eyebrow looking at Klaus through the mirror. She hesitated looking at the tempting coated paper and couldn't refrain from opening the envelope.

_"McKanzie's Annual Benefit Auction."_

_New York_

Caroline frowned and eventually turned towards him

"You want me to buy something at an auction?"

An ironic grin appeared on his face

"When do we ever buy anything?"

Caroline rolled her eyes resting the invitation on the white wood of the table

"You want me to steal something at a charity auction?"

He shrugged, then gave her a piercing look

"What, you don't think you can do it?"

He was clearly challenging her. Caroline looked in the mirror again. Yet another dilemma. Should she take the challenge and prove something to Klaus... Or should she refuse and prove something to herself? She just had to stick to the stupid plan.

The blonde woman sighed one last time, then looked at Klaus' reflection in the mirror. She lifted the right corner of her mouth hinting an excited smile

"It's a big event. All of New York's high society will be there. And I suppose there's going to be a lot of alarmed showcases, a lot of security guards and CCTV in all the corners."

This time she turned to look him straight in the face

"I'm going to need Marcel."

Klaus shrugged and gave his consent just tilting his face

"He's all yours."

As he continued to stare into her eyes, Caroline smiled with gusto. If Klaus was hoping to fool her like that, he was seriously sinning naive.

He stepped back breaking the moment

"It's at seven o'clock."

"Okay. I'll get dressed for the occasion. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Caroline began to play with the knot in her nightgown's belt. Klaus attentively followed her movements

"...I should get dressed."

He raised his eyes to meet hers then wetted his rosy full lips

"Are you really sure you're okay with this room?"

Caroline cracked a nervous smile, could he be any cockier?

"Positive. See you later, Klaus."

He nodded, rubbing his mouth as if he was trying to refrain from adding anything else. Or maybe he was just avoiding drooling. After one last look, he finally left the room. Caroline watched him go then closed the door behind him. She laid her forehead against the doorframe, her heart was pounding so fast and not just because of the challenge he'd accepted.

She could win that one, but could she really win a war against Klaus Mikaelson?

XoXoXo

"I hate this stuff."

Marcel tried to fix his tie again. It was probably the second time in his life he was wearing one.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Owen, but you'll have to put up with being elegant for tonight."

"You're gonna pay for this."

He was serious. Klaus smiled and shook his head.

Elena came down the stairs looking less pouty than usual. She almost seemed happy.

"You can call the driver. Caroline is ready."

Behind her Caroline started descending the stairs, her first few steps a bit uncertain. She hadn't had time to get familiar with the Jimmy Choo that Elena had lent her for the occasion. Wrapped in a long, soft purple silk dress that left her shoulders uncovered, she had her hair gathered in an elegant chignon and an indecipherable expression on her face.

Klaus followed her movements with wide open eyes. He had never forgotten, not even for a second, how beautiful his wife was, but there was a completely new aura around her, she was glowing. He was probably never going to know what had happend to her during their years apart, but whatever it was, had been enough to turn his shy invisible girl into a fierce woman.

She barely smiled avoiding all gazes except Elena's. She felt brand new, but didn't want to look presumptuous. She took a deep breath and spoke directly to Marcel.

"What do you say, Mr. Owen?"

She asked, performing a pirouette. He jokingly checked her out from head to toe.

"You exceed my expectations, Mrs. Owen."

"You're not bad yourself." She offered back her compliment with a grin, but Klaus was quick to clear his throat and get between them

"The car is waiting for you."

Marcel looked at Klaus' face, his expression nothing but appalled, so he raised his hands to proclaim himself innocent and walked straight to the front door. Klaus turned to Caroline

"Don't have too much fun."

She gave him a challenging smile

"It was your idea."

He didn't answer, just stared back with gritted teeth.

"See you later."

Caroline waved her hand while gracefully parading away.

Elena approached Klaus

"She looks good in my dress, doesn't she?"

Klaus looked at the brunette as if he wanted to eat her liver

"Not another word."

He pronounced one word at the time, moving to the bar. He grabbed a bottle of scotch and headed straight for the stairs. Elena stayed there watching his slow movements while searching for some words that could save him from his thoughts

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

She asked him. Klaus stopped his footsteps and looked at her with no real interest

"What?"

Elena looked him in the eye. Although her tone was light and almost compassionate, her eyes pointed straight to Klaus' heart. As much as he loved the guy, he wanted nothing more than to see him finally get the head out of his ass

"To see her. To have her here. You know you should be happy, but what you're feeling is light years away from happiness. Am I wrong?”

Klaus closed his eyes for a short moment. His expression lacked any emotion as he tilted his head to say

"Have a nice evening, Elena."

XoXoXo

Avoiding the surveillance at the entrance to the auction was very easy. Evidently this phantom Mr. Owen wasn't that well known to the big apple finest. Caroline gave a look at the violin quartet and the crystal chandeliers, then scoffed. Infinitely banal. Marcel immediately attempted to loosen the knot on his tie. The youngest one in there was at least 60 years old.

"Magnificent."

He whispered sarcastically. Caroline leaned against his arm and started walking around the room.

"You already know what to do right?..."

She asked with the biggest fake smile, pretending to appreciate a very different conversation

"...I assume all the cases are connected to a centralized alarm system."

Marcel looked around.

"Yeah. Centralized and computerized. All we have to do is get on the line and blow the short memory on the data-collection server."

Caroline sighed

"I pretend I understand. Anyway, blow the power too. I'll take care of the rest."

Marcel swallowed his flûte of champagne zigzagging between businessmen and ladies in chanel suits.

"Why are we still wandering around these mummies then?"

Caroline shook her head with a hint of amusement

"First, because the auction hasn't started yet, and second, I still haven't decided what to get."

He rolled his eyes

"Be quick about it."

They continued to walk among precious objects and smiles of circumstance. Caroline started talking without looking at him

"Since we're alone and have already skipped the pleasantries, I'd say you can talk now."

"What do you mean?"

"We both know tonight is a ridiculous sham."

He sighed. She continued

"What is it then? Are you putting me through some kind of initiation rite or maybe you just want to check that I'm still capable of doing my job?"

Marcel cast an annoyed look at her then squeezed his lips in a thin line

"Don't look at me. As far as I'm concerned, you sucked even before as a thief. Further scrutiny would have been useless."

If she could have, Caroline would have pierced his shin with a heel, but given the circumstances, she just breathed and kept smiling at the crowd

"So it's just Klaus' idea. I wonder why on earth..."

"How about that?"

Marcel interrupted her by pointing at the case in front of them. It contained a set of antique jewelry, but only the marquise cut pink diamond ring was really noteworthy.

"You women like these shiny things, don't you?"

Caroline looked at the jewel more closely

"Yes, I think that'll do."

She put a lock of rebellious hair behind her ear and looked at Marcel again

"But since you won't answer my first question, maybe you'll answer this one..."

Marcel pursued his lips

"...How come after five years in Europe, you decided to come back here? It wasn't a very smart move."

He wet his lips while looking across the room

"The auction is about to begin. We have no time for idle chatter."

He responded by dragging her among the guests, the corridor was now crowded with people searching for the best seats. He began to look around

"To get on their line, I need to find an access."

"By access you mean a phone?"

He shrugged

"A phone, a modem, a computer, a hole in the wall, but I doubt we could keep it quiet. I need a second to think."

Caroline smiled with herself as if she had just been caught by an unexpected insight

"How about an alarm directly linked to the firehouse on 12th and the ER at Lenoxhill Hospital?"

Marcel raised his eyebrows

"Pardon?"

Caroline approached him to whisper into his ear

"There's one of those things in the ladies' room. If a fire breaks out or if someone gets sick, just press a button and you can talk directly to the ER switchboard. I'm not a genius at this, but I guess it's connected to the phone line."

Marcel stared at her with the same perplexed face

"Okay. Let's go and see."

They walked through the crowd to the ladies' room. Caroline entered quietly, while Marcel threw himself inside as soon as the corridor was empty. He locked the door behind him.

"There."

Caroline pointed at the contraption on the wall and Marcel began to play with it.

"How did you know about this thing? You never went to the bathroom."

Caroline took the opportunity to look in the mirror and touch up her makeup

"Not tonight. This auction is held in the same place every year. My mother managed to drag me along in the '97 edition, she wanted to win a Harry Winston that had passed through the hands of Marylin Monroe. I remember spending most of the evening in this bathroom."

While she was talking, Marcel had already put his tools to work. After tinkering with the screwdriver, he pulled out his inseparable PDA and a couple of cables.

"So let's thank your rich, bigheaded mother."

"Hey!"

Caroline scolded him with a sarcastic scowl, but he didn't bother

"I'll be able to blow the whole thing up for no more than a minute and a half. Do you think you can make it?"

Caroline finished fixing her lipstick with a touch of gloss

"I'll be outside waiting for you."

She affirmed with self-confidence. Marcel looked perplexed but didn't retort. Stealing is like riding a bike, that he knew, it's a skill you can't lose, but still he felt like he couldn't completely trust the woman. Maybe Klaus was right, there was something different about her and if that meant he was going to risk his freedom, screw her and his bestfriend, he would leave her there with the cops without second thoughts.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Both of them stiffened immediately.

"Wait, please!"

Caroline said immediately, but the man on the other side of the door cleared his throat

"Sorry Ma'am...” He started "...I think it's too busy in there. Open the door please!"

Caroline daggered Marcel with a severe gaze

"Have you got caught coming in here?!"

He shrugged. Too much overthinking and there he was, making a stupid rookie mistake

"I must have missed a CCTV."

Caroline rolled her eyes, sighing

"I'll be out as soon as I'm done!"

Again the man knocked on the door

"Ma'am, the officers saw you and your friend get into the bathroom. This is a serious and important event, this sort of things are not allowed and will not be tollerated. Come out immediately or I'll have to open the door my self."

"Merde."

Marcel mumbled. When he was nervous, he always went back to his native language. Caroline quickly decided to take the matter in her hands

"Take off your jacket."

She ordered while she let her hair down, using her fingers to make them ruffled.

"What?"

"Take off your jacket!"

Despite his puzzlement, Marcel obeyed.

"And let me lead."

Caroline concluded approaching his friend. In a hurry she untied his tie and unbottoned his shirt.

"What the hell..."

"Gentlemen, I'm coming in, I'm warning you!"

Again the guard spoke from outside the door and a few seconds later they could hear him tinkering with the handle. It wasn't a security door, even if they had locked it from the inside, it wouldn't have been difficult to pick the lock.

Caroline slammed Marcel against the wall with some violence, so that his body was covering the access they had just opened by removing the alarm.

"Play your part!"

Caroline warned him. The decisive crack of the door was heard.

"Okay!"

Marcel answered with a smug smile on his face as he smeared his hands on her butt. Caroline didn't even have the time to protest.

"Ma'am... Mister."

The guard eyed them head to toe with bewildered eyes.

“Hello!"

Caroline greeted with a fake embarassed smile. She broke away from Marcel's grip while he stayed still, glued to the wall.

"We're sorry officer, we really are!"

The guy scratched his head puzzled. Caroline had opted for a polite use of the term “officer” even if she knew the guy was not a policeman. Being around the feds for a while, she had realized there's not better way to compliment a man than feed his giant, insatiable ego.

"You realize you're at a high society event, don't you?"

They both nodded. Caroline took the floor again

"We know for sure Officer, it's just that..."

He looked at Marcel. He smiled awkwardly

"...My husband and I have only been married for a month... I hope you can understand... Are you married?"

The guard furrowed his brows

"Yes, but..."

"Then you'll surely remember what the first months of marriage are like! It's not our fault, it's just... We just can't control ourselves!"

Caroline used one of her secret weapons and looked at the man like a naive little girl, her blue eyes sparkling like acquamarine as she batted her long black lashes . He took a couple steps back and rubbed his head again.

He wanted to look threatening but couldn't help being amused by the awkward situation

"Okay, guys, let's do this. I'll give you two minutes to pull yourselves together and get out of this bathroom. I'll turn a blind eye this time, but don't let it happen again."

Marcel and Caroline nodded in unison again

"Thank you! Let me tell you how sorry we are again."

The man waved his hands, gesturing with his fingers "Two minutes."

The officer was about to leave, then turned around one last time

"And not to be a party pooper, but this phase here, the honeymoon I mean, it's going to end soon. In a few years, if you throw your arms around each other, it'll only be to strangle each other."

The smile stayed plastered on their faces as the guard walked out of the toilet.

Sbang!

The first thing Caroline did was slap Marcel in the head.

"Ouch!"

"Damn nerds, you're all the same!"

Marcel massaged the back of his head for a moment, then went back to work on the telephone line

"You know, technically I'm a geek, not a nerd."

Caroline fixed her hair the best she could

"Geeks, nerds, it makes no difference. You're all perverts."

Marcel chuckled. He couldn't deny it, deep down he liked their bickering.

"Is it gonna take much longer? In 30 seconds they're gonna kick us out of this place."

Marcel made one last delicate movement

"Voilà!"

It suddenly got dark. The immediate clamour coming from the auction room reached their ears

"You have a minute and a half, maybe less."

Caroline grabbed the purse containing her own tools and ran out of the toilet

"See you outside."

Stealing in the hustle and bustle of a crowded place is much easier than doing it in silence in a deserted mansion. A minute and twenty-seven seconds later, Caroline jumped into the car waiting for her outside the McKanzie Palace.

"Just in time."

Marcel said looking at his watch as the driver sped away. Caroline offered him a grin

"Sorry. I also stopped to pick up a little something for Klaus."

She took the ring and a rather old-fashioned gold pen out of her purse.

"Did you get that too?"

Caroline put the jewel on her left ring finger. She reached out her arm to get a better look at it under the car's curtesy light

"Maybe I don't suck as a thief after all, my _nerd_ friend."

Marcel chuckled again, looking out the car window

"Prétentieuse salope américaine."

He mumbled and Caroline smiled with gusto. She was still excited about the robbery she'd just committed. And she understood French.

Caroline tried to enjoy that feeling as long as she could. A much more difficult task awaited her at the villa.

XoXoXo

Entering the villa, Marcel took off his jacket and ungracefully threw his tie on the floor

"Pack your things...” He told Caroline “...We need to be long gone by the time the police comes to question Mr. and Mrs. Owen tomorrow."

She nodded

"Okay. But first I need to talk to Klaus... Do you know if he's still up?"

"You can find him in the study if he is."

"Okay."

She looked at Marcel with a genuine smile

"Good night and thank you. It was fun."

He grinned back at her

"Good night."

XoXoXo

The door of the studio was ajar, Caroline peeked inside and the first thing she noticed was the skimpy red patent dress inside of which a dark-haired woman seemed unable to breathe. She raised her eyebrows, despite the benefit of the doubt, the girl definitely looked like a prostitute.

She avoided the annoyed gaze of the brunette to look straight at Klaus. It was clear from the smug grin on his face that he'd been drinking while waiting for her. Booze and cheap sex. What better way to greet her newly found wife?

Caroline repressed her anger trying to look as stoic as possible. Did he want to humiliate her? Or maybe he just wanted to make it clear that he no longer had any respect for her? Maybe neither, but one thing Caroline was sure of.

She hated the man. That sort of unbearable mixture bubbling inside her could be nothing but hate.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She looked at the other woman with a good dose of disgust

"Alone."

She added and Klaus composed himself while gesturing towards his guest

"Your services are no longer required Hayley."

She picked up her purse and coat, then left the room giving Caroline the evil eye. The blonde couldn't care less, her attention completely absorbed by the asshole sitting in front of her. Klaus raised his hands in surrender

"It's not what you think."

Caroline tilted her head

"Yeah. I'm sure that's even worse."

He cracked a smile. Caroline moved forward with a grim look on her face

"Here..."

She started waving her left hand in front of his eyes

"...I stole this."

Klaus frowned

"A ring?"

"A diamond ring. And not just any ring, it comes directly from the Queen of Spain's private collection. The auction base was 45,000."

He looked more disappointed than expected

"As I recall, you already had a diamond ring."

Caroline just shrugged, but inside she was smiling. The bitterness in his voice was a clear sign of her upcoming victory.

"Yeah, that's true. But I stopped wearing that one a long time ago."

She answered, trying not to let her true intentions shine through. It was clear to both of them that they were referring to the engagement ring that Klaus had given her a few years earlier. Caroline put her hand down and offered him a sympathetic glance

"Don't be too disappointed. I got something for you too."

Caroline approached him, then lifted one leg in a slow, sensual movement. She placed her elegant five inches-heeled shoe on the armrest of the chair on which Klaus was still relaxing. He perked up as she gently began to pull up the hem of her silk dress.

Klaus' darkened eyes followed her fingers while trying to figure out her intentions. Caroline continued with her innocent torture until the lace flounce of her hold-ups was showing. She pulled the shiny little object she had stolen for him out of the rubber band and handed it to him.

Klaus looked disappointed again, the lust in his eyes quickly replaced by a bored look

"A pen?"

Caroline composed herself, her expression back to cold and serious in a second

"It's a golden pen that belonged to Colonel Marshall."

He took it from her hand with reluctance. Caroline sighed while savoring her next words

"I thought it would take a special pen to put a special signature."

He looked genuinely puzzled

"And what should I sign?"

He arched an eyebrow. Caroline placed her palms on his wooden desk and looked him straight in the eye. She pulled out the toughest expression he'd ever seen.

"The divorce papers."

Klaus' face tensed, his eyes narrowed trying to burn her with his gaze. Any malice disappeared from his eyes, leaving room for nothing but darkness.

"By the way..."

She licked her lips, fighting him with the same amout of disdain

"...I'll try to be clear. This is the last time I steal or do anything else, just because you ask me to..."

Klaus' jaw clenched. His muscles were vibrating, as if he was refraining from standing up and yell in her face.

"...I don't have to prove anything to you. I didn't come looking for you, _you_ found me and brought me here. Now, if you want me to stay, don't ever try to order me around again. Do you understand?"

Her arrogance was something new to him, a new trait that, as much as stimulating, made him impossibly mad. Klaus got up slowly, keeping his icy expression. He slightly bent forward to come face to face with her. Caroline began to quiver, but her gaze didn't lower. They stayed like that, staring into each other's eyes, for what felt like a minute or a hour.

He eventually bent some more, stopping just a few inches from her nose. His alcoholic breath, mixed with his masculine scent, filled her nostrils. She swallowed trying to not be distracted.

"In that case, I hope you enjoy your stay."

He whispered. He was so close now that, for a moment, Caroline feared he was gonna kiss her. Instinctively, she licked her lips again, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed. Klaus dropped his gaze over her mouth. She was breathing fast, her chest moving up and down with a frenetic rhythm, and that could only mean that despite the apparent coldness, she was not in control of the situation.

He smirked, then walked away from the room without a word.

Caroline closed her eyes, she could finally breathe.

XoXoXo

CHICAGO

McPhee, as usual, entered Stefan's office without knocking. The younger officer didn't even notice it anymore.

"What do you want now?"

Stefan asked without giving him his real attention. McPhee couldn't stop smiling.

"Should I start with the good news or the bad news?"

Stefan puffed exasperated

"Do whatever the hell you want."

"Okay, I admit it. There's only one story to tell."

McPhee said as he started to flip through the folder in his hand

"There was a theft last night in New York City, during the McKanzie family's annual charity auction."

Stefan raised his eyebrows

"So what?"

"Half a hour ago the department sent us some pictures."

McPhee paused to bring up the black-and-white photograph

"This is from the camera footage at the entrance to the mansion..."

He gave it to Stefan.

"...I was checking the guest list when I noticed something rather strange. Tell me Stefan, don't you think Mr and Mrs Owen look familiar?"

Stefan furrowed his eyebrows in front of the picture. There was no doubt about it, it was her.

"Caroline."

He whispered. McPhee's smile grew larger, he was ready to gloat like a peacock during mating season

"That's right. Accompanied by Mr Gerard, no less..."

Stefan examined the photo again without being able to remove that incredulous and disappointed look from his face.

"...The wife and her husband's best friend. Not exactly classy, but certainly a classic."

Stefan rested the picture on his desk as his expression went back to detached and professional.

"Do you need any more proof?"

McPhee asked, concluding his triumphant speech. Stefan breathed while tightening the knot on his tie. He was a deputy commander of the FBI. And he was pretty pissed-off.

Officer Salvatore's eyes snapped to his partner

"Notify the department. We're going to New York."


End file.
